Encouraging Thais to stop using single-use plastic bags

[rooster59]

Encouraging Thais to stop using single-use plastic bags

Tanakorn Sangiam

 

 

BANGKOK(NNT) - From 1st January next year, major shopping malls and convenience chain stores will discontinue providing single-use plastic bags to customers. The Ministry of Natural Resources and the Environment has launched a campaign on Silom Road promoting the plastic bag ban, and encouraging families to float only a single Krathong for the whole household this Loy Krathong Festival, to reduce waste in canals and rivers.

 

The Department of Environmental Quality Promotion (DEQP) has led private companies in a parade promoting the initiative to discontinue the offer of single-use plastic bags. The parade took place in front of the United Center building on Silom Road, and along Soi Lalai Sap, encouraging the general public to carry multiple use tote bags to the shops instead of receiving single-use plastic bags from the stores each time they make a purchase.

 

From 1st January 2020, 46 major shopping malls and convenience stores will discontinue providing customers with single-use plastic bags, with the goal of eliminating such bags from Thailand by 2021.

 

The opening ceremony of the event today was presided over by the Minister of Natural Resources and the Environment, Warawut Silpa-archa.

 

"If we can reduce and discontinue plastic bags, we will reduce plastic waste volume by half. Participating companies will not have to worry about generating plastic waste anymore. This will also help reduce Thailand’s social costs," said Warawut while adding that "We would like to remind our 60 million populations that there are only some 50 days left until the discontinuation, which we can help change and conserve our environment. Today marks a very good start."

 

For the upcoming Loy Krathong day on 11th November, the general public is being asked this year to float only one Krathong per family group, to help reduce waste in rivers and canals, and thereby minimizing the environmental impact.

 

-- © Copyright NNT 2019-11-09

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[fforest1]

Sorry single use plastic bags are here to stay......

[sungod]

Educating food vendors and offering alternative packaging at the same price too..........

 

But a step in the right direction at least, have to start somewhere.

[mok199]

Saddly this Nation will never ever stop their need for ''take away food in plastics''......if you doubt that,,take a few minutes and watch a street vendor and the amount of plastics and foam , with out a second thought it is just normal behavior 'they see nothing wrong with this'' ...it is an absolute disgrace...one TFV member I messaged,thinks it is their cultural right to use this amount of plastic....sad sad sad

[Lupusthai]

I'm curious if there is anywhere a listing which "46 major shopping malls and convenience stores" will stop using plastic bags?

[Moonlover]

29 minutes ago, mok199 said:

Saddly this Nation will never ever stop their need for ''take away food in plastics''......if you doubt that,,take a few minutes and watch a street vendor and the amount of plastics and foam , with out a second thought it is just normal behavior 'they see nothing wrong with this'' ...it is an absolute disgrace...one TFV member I messaged,thinks it is their cultural right to use this amount of plastic....sad sad sad

Thailand, in common with all Asian countries had the 'take away food' culture long before the plastic bag came into common use. It is by comparison a fairly recent invention. It's all matter of 'thinking outside the box'. (or bag if you will)

 

There is already a company in Hong Kong that is producing Eco friendly food packaging, including containers for take away food. (search for Vegware) The time is right for a revolutionary shift in attitudes which  also presents a great business opportunity.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Moonlover]

1 hour ago, fforest1 said:

Sorry single use plastic bags are here to stay......

Negative thinking begets negative results.

[kevin612]

Get ready to bring a cup and a bag whenever we go out in 2 years.

[fforest1]

34 minutes ago, Moonlover said:

Negative thinking begets negative results.

If single use plastic bags stay thats positive for me....

Edited November 9, 2019 by fforest1

[fforest1]

15 minutes ago, Moonlover said:

Thailand, in common with all Asian countries had the 'take away food' culture long before the plastic bag came into common use. It is by comparison a fairly recent invention. It's all matter of 'thinking outside the box'. (or bag if you will)

 

There is already a company in Hong Kong that is producing Eco friendly food packaging, including containers for take away food. (search for Vegware) The time is right for a revolutionary shift in attitudes which  also presents a great business opportunity.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sir if you have not noticed the powers that be have ZERO interest in biodegrade or eco friendly bags or containers...Not just here but in virtually all countries...

The objective is to do away with ALL single use containers and bags eco friendly or not...

Edited November 9, 2019 by fforest1

[Cadbury]

52 minutes ago, Lupusthai said:

I'm curious if there is anywhere a listing which "46 major shopping malls and convenience stores" will stop using plastic bags?

Not sure if there is one but if there is you can bet Villa Market is not on it. 

Went there yesterday to buy a few items at the Ploenchit Centre. The checkout chick put three items in one medium size bag and then put a single item into a small bag. I removed the single item from the one bag and put it in with the others.

As an expression of Villa Market's gratitude for my thoughtful action this little charmer gave me the evil eye scowl of death. Such is the manner of Thai customer service.

 

[Moonlover]

52 minutes ago, kevin612 said:

Get ready to bring a cup and a bag whenever we go out in 2 years.

Not an impossible solution. Especially if there was a financial incentive to do so.

[teacherofwoe]

Turning to hemp for plastic alternatives would transform waste crisis very quickly. 

[samsensam]

1 hour ago, kevin612 said:

Get ready to bring a cup and a bag whenever we go out in 2 years.

 

yes, already starting to happen, both back in my home country and here in thailand people are using multiple use water bottles, and back home more than here multiple use coffee cups - the government and business have to buy in; plentiful and hygienic water fountains, coffee shops offering discounts for own use cups, it can be done but we all need to get involved!

[sillyfool]

1 hour ago, Moonlover said:

The time is right for a revolutionary shift in attitudes which  also presents a great business opportunity.

that would require starting to accept responsibility for ones own actions.

enjoy the sound of silence. 

[baansgr]

I accumulated 9 plastic bags buying dinner at the market...this is where the real problem lies....but what is the option?

[Samuel Smith]

2 minutes ago, baansgr said:

I accumulated 9 plastic bags buying dinner at the market...this is where the real problem lies....but what is the option?

[Moonlover]

35 minutes ago, Cadbury said:

Not sure if there is one but if there is you can bet Villa Market is not on it. 

Went there yesterday to buy a few items at the Ploenchit Centre. The checkout chick put three items in one medium size bag and then put a single item into a small bag. I removed the single item from the one bag and put it in with the others.

As an expression of Villa Market's gratitude for my thoughtful action this little charmer gave me the evil eye scowl of death. Such is the manner of Thai customer service.

 

And where was your multi use shopping bag?

[mok199]

1 hour ago, kevin612 said:

Get ready to bring a cup and a bag whenever we go out in 2 years.

A cloth bag , snap lock container or 2 , knife a spoon and a fork..they sell sets that fit neatly in your back pack...HOW HARD IS THAT ?????

[Moonlover]

8 minutes ago, Samuel Smith said:

The perfect solution. Known in India as a tiffin box or dabba. They've been in use in Asia for many years, long before plastic bags were invented.

[sillyfool]

51 minutes ago, Cadbury said:

Such is the manner of Thai customer service.

 

this is a pathetic statement. i bet you were uber friendly in your response right ? this little charmer eh ? 

 

wondering at any time did you look at the cashier and politely say. no put no bag ? 

 

mai sai teung kap. 

 

i use this pretty much every day and am almost always met with a receptive response. did you have your own reusable bag with you take your things home ?  

 

 

[Tayaout]

2 hours ago, fforest1 said:

Sorry single use plastic bags are here to stay......

Food vendor in my area have already started using banana leaf. My wife bring her own container to buy pad Thai and stuff like that. Not sure why she is doing it because she don't really think about plastic pollution normally. 

[kingofthemountain]

1 hour ago, Moonlover said:

It's all matter of 'thinking outside the box'.

Yes you get it and it's one of the main part of the problem here in Thailand.

Everybody live day by day, hour by hour, minute by minute, and rarely think

to the next hour, so i can hardly imagine each thai thinking to take his own

bag with him.

Anyway i can't wait to see how all the 7\11 and street vendors are going to deal

with this. Are they going to be able to resist to the ''pressure'' of their customer base demand?

[owl sees all]

There are over 50 7/11s in Udon Thani and over 30 in Nong Khai. They all hand out plastic bags all say long. If this nonsense about plastic bags really takes hold there will be closures.

 

I'm all for drinking my coffe out of banana cups and eating my noodles with reusable chop-sticks, but how many TVForum members feel as enthuiastic as me.

 

Until the farang show the way, the Thais will not change their ways. It's not impossible to change Thai thinking; difficult, but doable. I have managed it with the wife; well sort of, over rubbish disposal. 

[CALSinCM]

This is purely profit motive for retailers.  No plastic bags means that they no longer have that expense on their balance sheets which means higher profits.  And they get to pat themselves on the back as being responsible stewards of the environment for propaganda purposes. Bonuses for the execs.

Again, if the government was actually serious about the problem they would ban single use plastic outright.  Do you see a ban?  Nope! 

[legend49]

Tell them they're DREAMING. More chance of teaching every Thai English communication that can be understood.

[zydeco]

4 hours ago, Lupusthai said:

I'm curious if there is anywhere a listing which "46 major shopping malls and convenience stores" will stop using plastic bags?

I'd like to know, too. So I can go to the ones that still offer them.

[Moonlover]

2 hours ago, Tayaout said:

Food vendor in my area have already started using banana leaf. My wife bring her own container to buy pad Thai and stuff like that. Not sure why she is doing it because she don't really think about plastic pollution normally. 

Actually your local food vendor has restarted using banana leaf. This was how it was done before the age of the plastic bag. I recall being served food in this manner in Singapore back in the '60s.

 

The message will slowly spread and we falangs can help. By declining plastic bags, as I do all the time, a new mindset will emerge.

 

Never say or think 'it can't be done'.

[zydeco]

2 hours ago, CALSinCM said:

This is purely profit motive for retailers.  No plastic bags means that they no longer have that expense on their balance sheets which means higher profits.  And they get to pat themselves on the back as being responsible stewards of the environment for propaganda purposes. Bonuses for the execs.

Again, if the government was actually serious about the problem they would ban single use plastic outright.  Do you see a ban?  Nope! 

And many/most of them will also be there to sell you heavy duty plastic bags for garbage that will take far longer to degrade than those "single use" plastic bags that were being recycled for garbage liners before.

[fantom]

3 hours ago, Cadbury said:

Not sure if there is one but if there is you can bet Villa Market is not on it. 

Went there yesterday to buy a few items at the Ploenchit Centre. The checkout chick put three items in one medium size bag and then put a single item into a small bag. I removed the single item from the one bag and put it in with the others.

As an expression of Villa Market's gratitude for my thoughtful action this little charmer gave me the evil eye scowl of death. Such is the manner of Thai customer service.

 

This begs the obvious question.  Why didn't you, as a conscientious and thoughtful citizen, put it in the re usable cloth bag you always take with you when you go shopping?

 

We always bring our own bags shopping and never had the death stare yet, and best of all no plastic bags.