Thai retailers' plastic bags ban comes into effect

[Bundooman]

12 hours ago, MyTHaiMyKe said:

People not only use plastic bags for groceries, but for garbage. What are we supposed to put our garbage in when we throw it out? There will be garbage everywhere on the streets now blowing around. What about paper bags? What about plastic bottles? What about the food at stands, that is all put in bags? Another Thai brilliant idea without thinking about the consequences.

Well, you could try one of those strange black garbage bags available in all outlets where you could, if the thought occured to you, dispose of your household trash!

They've only been around for about 20 years or more, so I guess you haven't spotted or used them yet.

The great thing about them is that they get collected weekly by the garbage disposal trucks you see around. (Or burned in the rural villages).

But the market stuff is a problem. Maybe we will all have to bring our own containers?

Waste food is easy to compost as well.

 

[MaxLee]

Is it April 1st already???

[Don Mega]

12 minutes ago, heybuz said:

When I was younger my father was partial to Chinese food ,now we didn't have Chinese restaurants at that time but the local Chinese market gardener had a thriving business selling food, the old man would take a billy can or a metal tin with lid and that would suffice. I see in Thailand you can buy similar with multiple cans clicked together,this could be the answer.

Ive got a 4 tier tiffin I take the the local markets with me, its great however if iambuying a few days worth of pork/chicken/vegetables I need to chop it all up to make it fit........... thats why I also carry a knife and chopping board.

[ZenoBresson]

12 hours ago, Don Mega said:

Just went to the 7/11, purchased 4 items and got 3 plastic bags and 5 straws.

Hmmm ... why not tell them, you don't need it? I do ... and after a few month the staff at my 7/11 remember already, that I don't need straws and that I put everything in my backpack - without an extra plastic bag ...

[Don Mega]

2 minutes ago, ZenoBresson said:

Hmmm ... why not tell them, you don't need it? I do ... and after a few month the staff at my 7/11 remember already, that I don't need straws and that I put everything in my backpack - without an extra plastic bag ...

Last time I said I do not want the plastic bags the girl had a startled "deer caught in headlights" look and was clearly confused....

 

I gave up............ makes no difference if I throw them in the bin or someone else.

Edited January 2, 2020 by Don Mega

[ColinChapman]

Went to Central Food Hall yesterday (taking my reusable bags as I always do), all they have done is stopped giving out free plastic bags, now they charge 1 baht per bag, I can't see that making much difference, someone with 2,000 baht of shopping seems unlikely to care about another 5 baht for some bags. 

[chrissables]

Why where biodegradable bags invented if they will ban there use?

[Don Mega]

Just now, ColinChapman said:

Went to Central Food Hall yesterday (taking my reusable bags as I always do), all they have done is stopped giving out free plastic bags, now they charge 1 baht per bag, I can't see that making much difference, someone with 2,000 baht of shopping seems unlikely to care about another 5 baht for some bags. 

There is a few hear that would moan about paying 1 baht for a bag..... one even demands his landlord provide more so he can throw out his 10+ bags of rubbish each week because he can no longer get them for free.

[Sydebolle]

Why not look how other, subject leading, countries deal or dealt with the issue?

The Swiss have been buying their grocery paper bag for the last 40 (forty) years already. What the lovely Thais get wrong - again - is that there is an alternative to plastic called recycled paper and with this recycled paper one can produce, among other things, rigid paper bags with handles. These are sold at presently approx. Baht 10/bag, can be reused for a long time and end up, eventually, again in the paper recycling loop. Explains a lot about how the Swiss are looking forward for their next generation(s) ................. 

I - for one - never saw a better system to deal with the issue. The customer must have the possibility of buying a bag in case of need and not everybody needs a jute bag from Bangladesh at Baht 149 ???? 

[Moti24]

At a 7/11 (Not my local), last night, there were no signs of plastic bags on the counter.  I bought some bread, biscuits and a pork burger which was heated in the microwave.  The girl got a plastic bag from under the counter and put the hot pork burger in it, followed by the bread and biscuits.  I took-out the pork burger and explained that it was hot and the bread and biscuits shouldn't be in the same bag; I got a "I don't under-sa-tand" look. 

 

I didn't expect a bag for the bread and biscuits, but it's a good idea to still put hot food in plastice bags, but common sense just isn't a Thai trait.

 

On the down side, I usually use the plastic bags to pick-up the mess from my dogs when I take them for a walk.  Nobody else in my village does this, in fact, nobody else takes their dogs for a walk, they just let their dogs roam the sois, messing where they want.  It looks like I'll be turning into a Thai, letting my dogs do the same; then I'll probably be known as, "The farang who lets his dogs mess all over the place"; ****in hypocrites!

[jollyhangmon]

22 minutes ago, Don Mega said:

Ive got a 4 tier tiffin I take the the local markets with me, its great however if iambuying a few days worth of pork/chicken/vegetables I need to chop it all up to make it fit........... thats why I also carry a knife and chopping board.

 

... darn mate, a well sized blade for some proper chopping, yeah, agree, always comes in handy ... but you're now packing a dedicated 'board to go with it, well that's next level stuff ... just let me salute you, brother ... 

[mfd101]

13 hours ago, MyTHaiMyKe said:

People not only use plastic bags for groceries, but for garbage. What are we supposed to put our garbage in when we throw it out? There will be garbage everywhere on the streets now blowing around. What about paper bags? What about plastic bottles? What about the food at stands, that is all put in bags? Another Thai brilliant idea without thinking about the consequences.

The Western world seems to have managed the transition quite well, some years ago ...

[rexall]

Dumb question. Are plastic bags the problem? Or is the problem that people do not dispose of them properly?  

I always use my plastic bag to hold trash, or I throw them away in the regular trash.  Is that not good enough?

[Time Traveller]

13 hours ago, MyTHaiMyKe said:

People not only use plastic bags for groceries, but for garbage. What are we supposed to put our garbage in when we throw it out? There will be garbage everywhere on the streets now blowing around. What about paper bags? What about plastic bottles? What about the food at stands, that is all put in bags? Another Thai brilliant idea without thinking about the consequences.

You can burn all of your garbage. More environmentally friendly than plastic bags apparently

[rexall]

3 minutes ago, mfd101 said:

The Western world seems to have managed the transition quite well, some years ago ...

The Western world seems to have managed quite well with horses.  Let's go back to horses.

Not!

 

[Don Mega]

7 minutes ago, jollyhangmon said:

 

... darn mate, a well sized blade for some proper chopping, yeah, agree, always comes in handy ... but you're now packing a dedicated 'board to go with it, well that's next level stuff ... just let me salute you, brother ... 

Gotta look after the enviroment Bro.... save the whales and all that too !!

[Essaybloke]

15 hours ago, fforest1 said:

Plastic is evil.....Throw you smart phones and computers in the trash....We need to get back to living in caves...

Wha a silly, ill-informed comment. 

[wombat]

15 hours ago, smedly said:

you cannot stop issuing plastic bags until there is a viable alternative 

 

I'm all for it but it will fail without solutions for the gaping whole left in the retail market

 

I already refuse a bag if possible and have been doing for months

there is a viable bio-degradable alternative that will be embraced....when?, who knows.

[SoilSpoil]

12 hours ago, glennb6 said:

apparently a cadre of greenies thinks eliminating plastic bags at retail stores is going to save the world and Thailand - All a bunch of sound-bite garbage is what it is. 

 

Every journey starts with a single step.

[hotchilli]

13 hours ago, Okis said:

Went to lotus today and was told that they don't give out plastic bags anymore, then he reached under the counter and picked up n gave me the usual plastic bag anyways. Was kind of a weird experience. 

 

 

But you still went there without you're own bag knowing that Wednesday (January 1) marked the first day of the ban on plastic bags implemented by around 75 brands under the Thai Retailers Association to reduce plastic waste in the country.

That's even more weird!

[rexall]

1 minute ago, Time Traveller said:

You can burn all of your garbage. More environmentally friendly than plastic bags apparently

You're kidding, right? When I was a kid in Los Angeles, every house had an "incinerator" in the back yard for burning trash.

[Kurtf]

What this means to me is that from now on I will have to buy plastic bags to use as liners in my bathroom waste bin instead of reusing the ones I got for free at the grocery store. 

[Don Mega]

Just now, Kurtf said:

What this means to me is that from now on I will have to buy plastic bags to use as liners in my bathroom waste bin instead of reusing the ones I got for free at the grocery store. 

Ohh my, what a burden how ever will you cope ?

[Mark mark]

I talked to an Intelligent Retailer about it, who has a Large, 109 I think they are called ? or 108 ? and very successful local Supermarket, and though she is quite moral I am sure, and she seemed to be in agreement with the new Law, .... She said she did not know about her Customers, in a tone that seemed to imply that she thought that they would not agree with the new law ! .... and like she was not going to loose Business. ... Saying  "Well, we will see what happens, and I just will have to play it by Ear" .... (e.g. would the Police enforce it ? ... ??? .... Like probably not ? ... so she would not comply with it. ? ... )

[DennisE]

Oh really Seven Eleven just gave me 3 big plastic bags yesterday afternoon just for two big bottles of water so apparently they didn’t get the memo. 

Edited January 2, 2020 by DennisE

[mokwit]

13 hours ago, MikeN said:

I am sure that they will find a way once they get hungry. They could always ask their mother or grandmother how they survived without styrofoam trays or plastic bags at the markets.

Banana leaves. HTH

[DennisE]

I’ve only seen one grocery store at the mall who is actually complying with this. 

[Burma Bill]

Quote:-

"Every Day Say No to Plastic Bags"

Interesting, what if I was to say "Yes"???

[PremiumLane]

15 hours ago, smedly said:

you cannot stop issuing plastic bags until there is a viable alternative 

 

I'm all for it but it will fail without solutions for the gaping whole left in the retail market

 

I already refuse a bag if possible and have been doing for months

there is a visible alternative, they are all selling cloth bags

[Jaxxper]

13 hours ago, MyTHaiMyKe said:

People not only use plastic bags for groceries, but for garbage. What are we supposed to put our garbage in when we throw it out? There will be garbage everywhere on the streets now blowing around. What about paper bags? What about plastic bottles? What about the food at stands, that is all put in bags? Another Thai brilliant idea without thinking about the consequences.

Buy bio degradable rubbish bags. Simples.