TV stations join no single-use plastic bags campaign

[webfact]

TV stations join no single-use plastic bags campaign

 

   

BANGKOK(NNT) - The Department of Environmental Quality Promotion (DEQP) has signed an agreement with eight TV stations to discourage the availability of single-use plastic bags by censoring scenes showing the bags in programs, while major shops and stores will officially discontinue offering these bags from 1st January.

 

The Minister of Natural Resources and the Environment Varawut Silpa-archa, ministerial officials, and executives from NBT, MCOT, ThaiPBS, Workpoint TV, ONE31, GMM25, Channel 8, and Channel 7, have signed the Censor Plastic Bags campaign in the hope of helping change consumer behaviour from taking single-use plastic bags from stores, to use their own multi-use fabric bags instead, when shopping.

 

Television media is recognized as a media channel that reaches most people, and can effectively help in promoting an environmentally conscious mindset among audiences. The campaign targets the general audience watching television dramas and other programs.

 

The Natural Resources Minister said that the campaign aims to reduce images of single-use plastic bags being broadcast, and stressed the campaign where 90 major shopping malls and store chains will discontinue offering plastic bags to customers from 1st January 2020 onwards.

 

After d-day, customers will have to bring their own bags to carry their purchased items. It is anticipated the move will significantly help reduce plastic bag waste that accounts for 80 percent of the 2.7 million tons of yearly garbage in Thailand. Anti-plastic bag campaigns this year have so far stopped some three billion plastic bags from being distributed.

 

Thailand used to rank as the 6th largest source of marine debris. Following the anti-plastic bag campaign, the country is now ranked 10th. This shows that most Thai people are ready to change their behaviour and stop using disposable plastic bags.

 

The discontinuation of plastic bags being offered at stores from 1st January will help cut down national plastic bag usage by 30 percent, or about 12 billion bags a year. Future cooperation by local grocery stores, fresh markets, and community shops by also not offering these bags would help reduce national plastic bag usage by 60 percent, or 20-30 billion bags a year.

 

Under the agreement with TV stations, parts of programs showing plastic bags being used will be cut out or censored to minimize exposure to audiences. Other content will be broadcast to encourage the use of reusable bags instead, to raise public awareness, and encourage audiences to change their behaviour. The DEQP expects more TV stations will join the campaign in the future.

 

-- © Copyright NNT 2019-12-19

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[BobbyL]

The problem isn't the shopping malls, or even 7/11 to a certain extent. It is the 1000s upon 1000s of street sellers around the country (food, fruit, coffee, juice etc) that give everything in plastic containers or cups along with plastic bags.

 

How are they ever going to monitor that?

[z42]

53 minutes ago, BobbyL said:

The problem isn't the shopping malls, or even 7/11 to a certain extent. It is the 1000s upon 1000s of street sellers around the country (food, fruit, coffee, juice etc) that give everything in plastic containers or cups along with plastic bags.

 

How are they ever going to monitor that?

While what you've said is true, weaning people off plastic little by little is better than nothing.

The proposed bag ban is 1 of the few truly commendable any administration has done in a long time.

 

In time, you'd hope people become accustomed to less plastic and change their habits accordingly. Wishful I know, but give them a chance hey

[nausea]

Is it just me, or does anyone else find censoring plastic bags slightly ridiculous. I mean fags, and alcohol, and guns, and breasts, and soles of shoes, was bad enough, like we all don't know what's being obscured, but at least I could see some mistaken logic behind it. But plastic bags?

 

42 minutes ago, BobbyL said:

It is the 1000s upon 1000s of street sellers around the country (food, fruit, coffee, juice etc) that give everything in plastic containers or cups along with plastic bags.

Agreed, and don't forget the local markets, where plastic bags are also ubiquitous.

 

[johng]

1 hour ago, BobbyL said:

It is the 1000s upon 1000s of street sellers around the country

Yes how are people going to get their super heated to go noodles  home if not in a plastic bag ?

[fforest1]

censoring scenes showing the bags in programs,......lol.............I guess plastic bags are as bad as guns drugs and alcohol which also have to be pixelated on T.V.......

 

Untold millions of dollars are at stake in potential lost sales....And as we all know big money ALWAYS wins in Thailand......Folks single use disposable plastic bags are here to stay, plastic bags are not going any where.......

 

 

 

Edited December 19, 2019 by fforest1

[mickey rat]

Those pesky plastic bags throwing themselves everywhere are just plain evil. Nevermind that literally all products are packaged in single use plastic.

 

I predict if they have no bags to collect the garbage until it can be properly disposed it will be thrown directly on the roadside after use without a second thought.

[Gweiloman]

I reuse the 7/11, Big C and Tesco Lotus bags in my bins around the house. Luckily my Thai gf assures me that we have enough stock for the next 3 years so I would not need to be purchasing any, any time soon. 

[Burma Bill]

Quote:-

"stores will officially discontinue offering these bags"

 

How about "unofficially" (under the counter) like many other transactions here in Thailand!!

[Burma Bill]

2 hours ago, Gweiloman said:

I reuse the 7/11, Big C and Tesco Lotus bags in my bins around the house. Luckily my Thai gf assures me that we have enough stock for the next 3 years so I would not need to be purchasing any, any time soon. 

Same as me. I store all my single-use plastic bags for use as bin liners and I also have enough stock for a very long time! Fortunately out here in "the sticks" such plastic bags will be used for a very long time so no immediate problem!

[Yinn]

5 hours ago, nausea said:

Is it just me, or does anyone else find censoring plastic bags slightly ridiculous. I mean fags, and alcohol, and guns, and breasts, and soles of shoes, was bad enough, like we all don't know what's being obscured, but at least I could see some mistaken logic behind it. But plastic bags?

 

Agreed, and don't forget the local markets, where plastic bags are also ubiquitous.

 

Paper bags not kill animal

[Chazar]

6 hours ago, BobbyL said:

The problem isn't the shopping malls, or even 7/11 to a certain extent. It is the 1000s upon 1000s of street sellers around the country (food, fruit, coffee, juice etc) that give everything in plastic containers or cups along with plastic bags.

 

How are they ever going to monitor that?

the  whole things a  nonsense.as  usual............

[Chazar]

29 minutes ago, Yinn said:

Paper bags not kill animal

maybe if you could train your nation to not throw its krap everywhere it would help way  more, stop hiding rubbish  bins because they dont look beautiful  etc Thailnds one big  rubbish dump, I can go down any road here and its  full of rubbish, butt  ends plastic almost anything.

You may well be the exception but most Thais couldnt care anything about where they put their  rubbish.

[Chazar]

56 minutes ago, Burma Bill said:

Quote:-

"stores will officially discontinue offering these bags"

 

How about "unofficially" (under the counter) like many other transactions here in Thailand!!

1 baht from Home pro

[zzaa09]

Kinda warm and fuzzy surface promotions. 

Lovely in theory, yet hard to swallow in practice. 

 

Gonna take forever to come full-circle.