Thai retailers to stop giving plastic bags from Jan 1

[bristolgeoff]

good idea lets hope it works.but somehow thais do like they plastic bags when shopping.over time it will work and the plastic waste is down

[metisdead]

Inflammatory posts, insulting posts, off topic sarcastic posts and the replies have been removed.  

[Jack Mountain]

So we can lean back now. All problems solved, no river devices for collecting plastic needed. 

[harleyclarkey]

What the heck will the Thais use now to put that box of matches/5 asprin in?? 

[Cranky]

10 hours ago, jastheace said:

no. i get it. most of us do.

 

10 hours ago, Samui Bodoh said:

I am all in favour of getting rid of plastic bags, but I got this a short while ago.

 

Bless the Thais for trying, but they really need to give it some more thought...

 

Finally they actually do something right and actually make an effort and all the bar seat jury can do is lay in to them out of (usually justifiable) habit.  The bag clearly states it is biodegradable so hats off to the inventor's play on irony.  

[chrissables]

I bought a hose in Thaiwatsadu the other day, no bag available. I was on my motorbike and tried to fit in my top box, too big. I ended up unwrapping so much clingfilm that ended up blowing in the wind trying to make it fit, the packaging is as much of an issue.

Another shop i bought something in again said no bags, (the household supplies shop upstairs at Big C extra), but would sell me a plastic bag.

I can understand the idea if buying one or two items, if a trolly full, no way.

Considering the amount of people who buy meals in plastic bags or polystyrene boxes or both everyday, maybe they should concentrate their efforts there.
It's about money, not pollution, nobody cares here, they dump everything everywhere, cigarette buts, building waste is fly tipped everywhere, dog <deleted> is in every street and they won't give me a bag? 

 

Rant over ????

[MikeN]

4 hours ago, rhyddid said:

What about wet markets and similar? They all use millions of such bags !

Go back and read the article .......this is about the members of the Thai retailers association. Do you think your local market vendor is a member ? Even when the law comes in to effect a year later, packaging for wet foods has already been allowed.

[MikeN]

2 hours ago, zydeco said:

Not only do I walk down the street. I walk 3 km to and 3 km back from my local Foodland. All made possible by plastic bags, which I can easily carry that distance. I don't use a private internal combustion engine to transport myself around--or store bags. And my carbon footprint, as a result, is much smaller than most. How about you? And, no, I cannot carry around reusable bags or whatever with me on a regular basis, because I cannot go into my workplace with reusable plastic bags bulging out of every pocket. Many times I find myself happening to be nearby a store and take advantage of that to make purchases--thereby saving time and energy from going home before going back to the store. The problem with people like you (and it is a problem) is that you arrogantly assume everybody lives like you do and you want to enforce totalitarian rules to make everyone live like you. Personally, I think a better way to solve pollution in Thailand is ban private automobiles and trucks. How about you?

 

By the way, if you followed these type threads, you would notice that both I and fforest are in favor of the use of biodegradable plastics. And they are available.  But I, at least, do not want to pay for them, because I think it's foolish to pour even more money into these supermarket and shopping center magnates' pockets. They must give away the biodegradables for free. I refuse to let these buzzards use ecology hysteria as yet another way to skim off more profits for themselves.

Believe it or not, this is not just about you ..it's about the average person in Thailand who uses 4 checkout plastic bags per person per day, and an equal number of other plastic bags. The problem is not pollution in general, but the number of plastic bags that end up strewn along the road, tossed into rivers and khlongs, or floating around in the sea. I don't see too many cars and trucks being casually dumped in the sea, do you ?

You don't take a briefcase or backpack, or any other bag with you ? Put your reusable bags into that ready for your shopping whims.

[HHTel]

3 hours ago, zydeco said:

Come the first of the year and I shall go into Tops or Foodland, buy 7000 or 8000 baht worth of groceries and goods, and, if they don't start packing it in plastic bags, I'll leave it on the counter and walk out.

You'd need to find the smaller shops who are not part of this agreement.  Whatever, this is a voluntary agreement for 2020 involving thousands of retailers but from Jan 1st 2021 they are banned by law.

Dozens of countries have already banned the issue of plastic bags. Some of them for many years.  Several countries in Africa (Rwanda being ahead of the pack with heavy enforcement) and they cope and have coped for a long time.

That says a lot about you, zydeco, doesn't it?

[HHTel]

2 hours ago, zydeco said:

you arrogantly assume everybody lives like you do and you want to enforce totalitarian rules to make everyone live like you.

Well more than half the population of the world do already.  Looks like you're in the minority.

[fforest1]

6 minutes ago, HHTel said:

You'd need to find the smaller shops who are not part of this agreement.  Whatever, this is a voluntary agreement for 2020 involving thousands of retailers but from Jan 1st 2021 they are banned by law.

Dozens of countries have already banned the issue of plastic bags. Some of them for many years.  Several countries in Africa (Rwanda being ahead of the pack with heavy enforcement) and they cope and have coped for a long time.

That says a lot about you, zydeco, doesn't it?

Dont hold your breath on Jan,1,2020 or Jan,1,2021 waiting for the ban......Thailand would win a Olympic gold medal for the number of laws that are passed and then ignored or forgotten about....

[trainman34014]

9 hours ago, Naturesway said:

Should educate the people and the youngs to make them understand the meaning and the importance of it not by the law forcing not to use it but to reject it by themselves even if it was allowed, to understand life and live consciously this is what the education system should focus on. If the teacher in the school isn’t really aware of this then what to expect from the students. 

A bit like Helmets i'm afraid; Parents and Teachers tell kids to wear them but they flatly refuse and the same will happen with Litter and the use of Plastic Bags, the Young will ignore everything and go on their merry way !

[amdy2206]

I was in Robinsons, Udon, last week and they were very definite about giving bags. They asked my 7 year old son if he wanted a bag, and he replied (luckily - as we have tried to infofm him) no thank you - it is not good to use plastic. I was so proud of him!! Well done! I understand if many items it can be necessary but better to take the trolley to the car. 

[VBF]

6 hours ago, hotchilli said:

Got it in one.... if you go shopping take a few tote type bags.

Which is what's been happening in UK and many other countries for several years now.

 

I didn't like the sound of it at first but it becomes second nature to walk out of the house and grab a bag and shove it in your pocket or bum bag or rucksack or whatever. I keep a "bag of bags" in my car for big shops and just occasionally if i forget, I pay 5 Pence for a bag. That bag gets reused for future shopping or rubbish or recycling other plastics.

 

One problem in Thailand is that recycling itself is uncommon. A friend who lives in a condo in Jomtien, puts all his household rubbish including plastic into 1 big communal "wheelie bin". When I asked him about recycling, there's no facility. In UK we do have those facilities....I guess Thailand will too....eventually.

[cnx355]

Great , now we will have to buy plastic garbage bag for our trash instead of using the free one. Plastic industry still have to produce them.

 

Apparently the tote reusable bags have more carbon imprint that the one we actually use.

 

They could have moved to a more gradual diminution and charge 2-3 bahts per bags . Then people would have to think  about paying for them, and re-use older bags. A few bahts per bags would have awake the Thais that would not appreciate it.

 

 

[ChrisKC]

10 hours ago, legend49 said:

April 1st moved to January? Number 5 in your list, Makro I have never received once a plastic bag from them, take your goods out in the shopping trolley, you cant bring your own bags in with you, must leave them at security counter.

When I go shopping to Makro on my bicycle , I take used Big C or Tesco bags in my pocket, they don't see anything. In any event, going by car one doesn't really need any kind of bag either theirs or your own. It's a bit of a fag putting it in the car and taking it out at home but it's a few minutes - I am not affected negatively by this.

[TomJoad]

IRONICALLY

I remember when plastic bags first made their appearance in retail stores.

Most people - myself included - didn't like them and thought they'd never take the place of paper.   Wrong.   

[Scott Tracy]

Why do people here keep referring to free bags? 

The thin plastic bags that have been used to pack your shopping in are not free. They are part of the overheads of a business and their cost is factored into the price of a purchase.

They appeared to be free when the Check out person shoved your shopping into them, as they did not ask for money, but I can assure you, you've a!ready paid handsomely for them.

Can you expect prices to reduce as the bags are no longer part of the shops inventory? Of course....and pigs can fly.....

[dslocum]

I haven't heard this proposed yet, or maybe I'm missing something here...

 

Don't GIVE away plastic bags, sell them on the shelves in boxes or small rolls.  If you want a plastic bag for dog poo (or anything else for that matter), you'll need to BUY it.

[GeoMill]

12 hours ago, Chazar said:

Yep, the  main problem is  not the bags its  their disposal................. ie  throw it where ever you  want, once again people who are  sensible get penalised for the morons in society. 

Only this  morning I saw the usual "dog  feeder"  remains where the plastic bags still with some rice in  were strewn across the road

Anyone sensible about the environment would see this as a good thing and bring his own bag. Something that my wife is surprisingly concious about as she always brings bags from home. 

 

It'd be great to take it even a step further and start giving out paper straws instead of plastic straws.

[Inn Between]

4 minutes ago, cnx355 said:

Great , now we will have to buy plastic garbage bag for our trash instead of using the free one. Plastic industry still have to produce them.

 

Apparently the tote reusable bags have more carbon imprint that the one we actually use.

 

They could have moved to a more gradual diminution and charge 2-3 bahts per bags . Then people would have to think  about paying for them, and re-use older bags. A few bahts per bags would have awake the Thais that would not appreciate it.

 

 

Like you and millions of other people around the world, I re-use plastic grocery bags in the waste can, however where I live we've had to pay 5 cents for them for quite some time. I'm (sort of) surprised Thailand didn't do the same, as it seems to be the standard around the world. But as of next month, plastic bags will no longer be offered where I do my shopping, so like you, now I'll have to make a point of buying plastic bags for kitchen garbage to put into the landfill, and if they're better for the environment, that's great.

 

Alternatively, they will offer the large paper bags I grew up with -- well sort of. I opted for one the last time, and the sad thing tore when trying to remove it from the car, so I'll just have to remember to take proper reusable totes. When I was shopping regularly at Makro, I never had a problem remembering my big cloth tote because there really was no alternative, so I think we'll all adapt when the situation forces us to.     

[kevinmartyn]

I am here in west Afroca where their has been a total ban on plastic bags and all plastics for over 2 years. Thailand is so far behind the rest of the world and the "ROOT CAUSE" is the current goverment that are in power! Let the Thai people wake up and know they are being raped!????

[Fairynuff]

Thai people always love the next big thing. It’s usually been about food. Krispy Kreme, Roti Boy....these sorts of things. They throw themselves into it. Hopefully ditching plastic wherever possible will be the next next big thing.

7-11 have on every recent visit asked me if I want a bag and thanked me when I said no.

Recently on trips to the local market I’ve had smiles from the vendors when I use my own bags. I honestly think it’s gaining momentum and I think it’s great, long may it continue.

[HHTel]

2 hours ago, VBF said:

Which is what's been happening in UK and many other countries for several years now.

 

I didn't like the sound of it at first but it becomes second nature to walk out of the house and grab a bag and shove it in your pocket or bum bag or rucksack or whatever. I keep a "bag of bags" in my car for big shops and just occasionally if i forget, I pay 5 Pence for a bag. That bag gets reused for future shopping or rubbish or recycling other plastics.

 

One problem in Thailand is that recycling itself is uncommon. A friend who lives in a condo in Jomtien, puts all his household rubbish including plastic into 1 big communal "wheelie bin". When I asked him about recycling, there's no facility. In UK we do have those facilities....I guess Thailand will too....eventually.

Actually there are 33 plastic recycling plants in Thailand (I've just counted them).   There are some areas that have different bins for different waste but these are few and far between.

However, putting everything in the same bin is not a problem.  The local 'sorter' will arrive several times a day to take out what is recyclable.  Our local sorter is a bearded guy with a big cart in which to carry the recyclables to the nearest merchant.

[PhiKhus]

Google this: Reusable Shopping Bag Foldable

[bartender100]

14 hours ago, justin case said:

villa always claimed their bags are bio-degradable ...so why do they stop ?

 

MONEY

Its true, they only take 200 years to bio

[waders123]

Why not use the bags from Indonesia??  They are 100% made from plants and they dissolve in water!  Agreed, not all applications will work with this particular "plastic" bag but many would and it would save so much in pollution!

 

"A company in Indonesia has created a plastic bag so eco-friendly you can eat it.  It’s made out of cassava, the vegetable root which is a staple in the diets of many in Africa, Latin America and Asia, but which can also be used in manufacturing.  The company, Avani Eco based in Bali, has created a bag that they say looks and feels like plastic, but is completely degradable and compostable.

It also dissolves in water, so if animals eat it, it won’t cause any harm. They say it’s so safe, in fact, that humans could even swallow it."

 

Full story at:

https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2018/05/this-plastic-bag-is-100-biodegradable-and-made-of-plants/

[Anotify]

What's the problem.? 

Bring your own bag. I always carry mine and it's fine. My Tesco had brown paper bags once.. Was it a test? 

[wpcoe]

I will take my saved Big C bags to Tesco when I go shopping and take my Tesco bags to Big C.  

[mr_lob]

15 hours ago, csmith said:

Rimping Chiangmai

 

 

Bloody expensive for a re-useable bag. In Portugal for example you can get a strong paper bag for the equivalent of 3 baht or a strong plastic one for 15 baht.