Goodbye to plastic bags

By The Nation

 

 

People shopping for groceries will no longer be given single-use plastic bags.

 

 

In its place, plenty of colourful fabric bags are being handed out as all retail and supermarkets have now banned plastic bags, in keeping with the government policy to stop plastic bag distribution from January 1, 2020. The plastic waste reduction road map is from 2018-2030.

 

 

Single-use plastic bags are expected to reduce by 45 billion year on year, reducing garbage by 225,000 tonnes per year. The government will reduce the budget for garbage management to Bt340 million per year and decrease the area for dumping garbage by 616 rai.

 

 

 

 

Source: https://www.nationthailand.com/news/30380076

 

-- © Copyright The Nation Thailand 2020-01-03

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I hope this lasts more than a couple of weeks.

ref to last pic...

and the plastic wrapped veg, and the plastic egg carton, and the........

oh yeah, the plastic bunting, banners, advertising poster...... crikey...

Edited January 2, 20206 yr by jastheace

7 minutes ago, dcnx said:

I hope this lasts more than a couple of weeks.

If they keep giving those free big (and expensive looking) bags away then it can go on indefinitely.

 

The day they stop giving them away and making people pay for them - it's back to normal as business will tank

I think it will work, the government made their mind up on this. 

So less plastic bags but outside the super markets and bigger retail shops , especially in markets and all the street stalls, plastic bags will still be the only option for customers. 

Edited January 2, 20206 yr by balo

I predict around 50% success rate as most activities here are only half hearted!

2 hours ago, jastheace said:

ref to last pic...

and the plastic wrapped veg, and the plastic egg carton, and the........

oh yeah, the plastic bunting, banners, advertising poster...... crikey...

Hopefully (very hopefully), slowly cooking the frog of plastic pollution by humanity. They somehow managed to kill the pull-tab can seal but it was much less of a threat to the environment than plastic.

We don't need no stinking bags!

 

At a local Lotus ....

hello to stupidity

3 hours ago, jastheace said:

ref to last pic...

and the plastic wrapped veg, and the plastic egg carton, and the........

oh yeah, the plastic bunting, banners, advertising poster...... crikey...

As ive said before its a   farce

1 hour ago, balo said:

I think it will work, the government made their mind up on this

Like  not riding in the back of  pick ups

4 hours ago, dcnx said:

I hope this lasts more than a couple of weeks.

Then we'll have to buy binbags,,from plastic.

 

It is ridiculous, we need bags as binbags so best to use them twice, in supermarket and at home as binbag.

 

The 711 should stop giving bags and loads of plastic.

Let's see how long it takes before they start giving bags.

 

I went to 7 this morning. No bags. Fortunately I only bought 4 items and my car was outside.

 

No more freely buying a few items from 7 for me! It'll be 1 or 2 things at a time, max! I will have shop a little more strategically and less carefree. Good for my wallet, I suppose.

 

If they think this won't affect their sales they are nuts.

 

Would it kill them to offer paper (or other biodegradable) bags? Even for 1-2 baht?

 

I am not a fan of plastic, of course, but it is hard to call a convenience store a convenience store when you have to supply your own bags.

 

I reckon you should get a free biodegradable bag if you spend over a certain amount.

Edited January 3, 20206 yr by FruitPudding

33 minutes ago, fruitman said:

Then we'll have to buy binbags,,from plastic.

 

It is ridiculous, we need bags as binbags so best to use them twice, in supermarket and at home as binbag.

 

The 711 should stop giving bags and loads of plastic.

711 have, they don't give them out at the ones around me anymore. Why don't you just buy biodegradable bags? And for shopping buy a cloth bag and take it with you, not really difficult is it?

 

While I agree more needs to be done, just shouting <deleted> and moaning about things that aren't a problem to do just sounds like someone being a contrarian for the sake of it,

Now for the absurd: https://www.thairath.co.th/news/society/1738956

Thai TV stations are being asked to censor out plastic bags!

 

Lets ride the elephant back to stone age.

Wiiilmaaaa....

19 minutes ago, PremiumLane said:

711 have, they don't give them out at the ones around me anymore. Why don't you just buy biodegradable bags? And for shopping buy a cloth bag and take it with you, not really difficult is it?

 

So you shop with the car right? Well done mate, good for the environment!

 

I shop by motocy or skytrain, if i bring a bag the security wants me to open it EVERY time so i don't bring a bag.

 

And when i bring my shoppings in the house i'm too lazy to go out and hang the bag on the motocy again, why would i when we also need binbags?

 

It's not rocket science is it?

35 minutes ago, FruitPudding said:

Let's see how long it takes before they start giving bags.

 

I went to 7 this morning. No bags. Fortunately I only bought 4 items and my car was outside.

 

No more freely buying a few items from 7 for me! It'll be 1 or 2 things at a time, max! I will have shop a little more strategically and less carefree. Good for my wallet, I suppose.

 

If they think this won't affect their sales they are nuts.

 

Would it kill them to offer paper (or other biodegradable) bags? Even for 1-2 baht?

 

I am not a fan of plastic, of course, but it is hard to call a convenience store a convenience store when you have to supply your own bags.

 

I reckon you should get a free biodegradable bag if you spend over a certain amount.

Buy your own long life bag, cheap Charlie... 

When we go "Big" shopping as the wife says, we usually end up with a dozen bags so difficult for us to go shopping with 12 reusable bags, and what if that is not enough ? Difficult to get a taxi home afterwards with that many bags AND loose items. We do however, use every plastic bag as rubbish bags afterwards, thereby recycling them. However, when she goes to fruit and veg market most days, she always comes back with small non-reusable bags. These we have to throw away apart from using to collect the dog <deleted> in our garden. We are in favour of curtailing to over use of plastic and interested how this works out. Love to see the country side near our home litter free, but somehow I think that will be a long time coming especially as the article states cutting down on official rubbish dumps !

Lets see: US elections coming, the Middle east heating up, trade wars, exchange rates, OH MY GOD NO MORE PLASTIC BAGS AAAAAAAAAARGGGGGGGGGGGGG.....

 

The less bags in circulation the better. Im old enough to remember when they switched from paper to plastic. In fact, I hated when they gave me a can of beer in a plastic bag instead of a paper one, tougher to discreetly drink. No big deal, adapt, go behind the dumpster and drink fast.

 

But they switched from paper to plastic due to economic cost. Now they are switching due to environmental cost.  Its all good.

 

Its just another day. Adapt. Any step to clean up is cool. You will live, no big deal, deep breath, mellow..........

3 hours ago, Chazar said:

Like  not riding in the back of  pick ups

and the ban on fireworks!!

2 hours ago, Artisi said:

Buy your own long life bag, cheap Charlie... 

For 7eleven?

 

I can understand for supermarkets, but when you are out n about it isn't convenient to carry a bag everywhere incase you pop into 7. 

 

And as I said, it is the convenience stores that will miss out on business (people buying less because they can't carry it all).

 

It supermarkets should be fine. Peole tend to shop there less and it's no big deal to make preparations for your weekly shop.

 

Anyway let's see how long it last. I am willing to be tgat by Songkran (max) 7eleven will have a new bag policy.

Prediction: It will never be "goodbye to plastic bags". Not in our lifetimes or in the lifetimes of Dugongs and other plastic-endangered species.

Don't sing victory, it's not over yet, many shops still give plastic bags, and there is still a lot of work to do!

just one hour ago:

a 7/11 shop in Chiang Mai center, bill amount 170 Baht, everything was packed nicely, without hesitating in two white standard plastic bags

And now you need to pack yourself. Whatever remains of service is slowly dying. Might just as well move to Europe.

The retail chains are soft targets, good luck changing the real abusers, the street vendors!

18 hours ago, ukrules said:

If they keep giving those free big (and expensive looking) bags away then it can go on indefinitely.

 

The day they stop giving them away and making people pay for them - it's back to normal as business will tank

I disagree.

 

I think the concept of 'free' is outdated. I don't disagree with plastic bags however, many kinds of re-usable bags are good. Cotton is not great, hemp is problematic - but some of the fake fabric plastics are good - I keep them handy for Makro shopping and use them for the 7-11 when my reserve of plastic bags at home is replenished.

 

In the past I remember some shops charged for their carrier bags - a simple cheap re-usable shopping bags - made from recycled plastics maybe - should be available at a reasonable cost to encourage folks to start remembering to take them back.

 

The downside for me is that I generally use my own bags, but sometimes revert to getting a few shopping bags for keeping my smelly trash in - though generally I do that with the smaller 7-11 bags. I never throw them away - they're always used, mostly as rubbish bags. So what's the alternative offered for that?

I remember the days when there was no plastic bags, we had a basket for the green grocers another bag for the butchers and another for the corner shop or SPAR as they where called them days

I did put a bag yesterday in the bike

13 hours ago, ben2talk said:

I think the concept of 'free' is outdated.

They where never "free" in the first place.