Bangkok Street-Food Stalls Are Trying to Give Up Plastic Bags

[webfact]

Bangkok Street-Food Stalls Are Trying to Give Up Plastic Bags

By Randy Thanthong-Knight

 

-- Government bans aim to curb Thailand’s plastic addiction

-- Vendors turn to sugar cane and palm leaves as alternatives

 

A takeaway order of soup is served at a street stall in Bangkok. Photographer: Nicolas Axelrod/Bloomberg

 

Two things Thailand is famous for are its delicious street food and its wonderful beaches. Sadly, the first typically comes in plastic bags that often wash up on the second -- not good for a country that relies on tourism for a fifth of its revenue.

 

Thailand’s love of plastic bags helped make it the sixth-worst maritime polluter. The country generates more than 5,000 metric tons of plastic trash a day, three-quarters of which ends up in landfills. So the Thai government decided to clamp down, promising to eliminate all single-use plastic bags by 2021, ban plastic straws by 2022 and recycle all its remaining plastic packaging by 2027.

 

Big retailers like CP All Pcl’s 7-Eleven, signed up early to the plan, pledging to stop handing out plastic bags starting Jan. 1 this year, but for the ubiquitous street vendors, the change is not so simple.

 

Full story: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-01-22/bangkok-street-food-stalls-are-trying-to-give-up-plastic-bags

 

-- Bloomberg Green 2020-01-23

 

 

[RotBenz8888]

Will it taste the same, without plastic?

[Thechook]

Go from plastic bags to plastic containers

[rovinman]

I can remember some 65-70 years ago in England, going to my local 'Fast food outlet', (the Chippy), with my parents, who brought their own bowls and plates, with them, to collect their ''Split and Fish'', (Split=Chips and Mushy peas, with Cod , Haddock, Plaice, or other fish of their choice).
They brought their own Cloth Towels, to wrap around their dishes, to keep the food warm, whilst we walked home !
Doesn't seem difficult now does it  ?

[Peterw42]

3 minutes ago, rovinman said:

I can remember some 65-70 years ago in England, going to my local 'Fast food outlet', (the Chippy), with my parents, who brought their own bowls and plates, with them, to collect their ''Split and Fish'', (Split=Chips and Mushy peas, with Cod , Haddock, Plaice, or other fish of their choice).
They brought their own Cloth Towels, to wrap around their dishes, to keep the food warm, whilst we walked home !
Doesn't seem difficult now does it  ?

I recall similar back in Australia, you took saucepans to the local Chinese to get takeaway.

[rickb]

I think all of us that are "old" can remember cardboard containers with paper lids used to sell food that contains liquid.  That would be, IMO, the simple solution for street food vendors, if containers like this are available in Thailand.  I'm happy to see that many vendors have already changed from styrofoam containers to paper containers for food that isn't liquidy.  The problem, as I see it is twofold, one Thai vendors don't like change, and, two, the Thai government didn't plan very well to help vendors cope with the new regulations to eliminate plastic bags.  There should have been a lot more planning done before the 1 January start date to cut significantly back on the use of plastic bags.  It's almost like no one believed it would ever happen and, therefore, didn't do any planning for it.

[cmrichsw]

The food vendors could make extra cash selling food containers to take away. Why not

[fulhamster]

I thought that they had stopped all those street food hawkers last year

[hotchilli]

17 hours ago, webfact said:

Two things Thailand is famous for are its delicious street food and its wonderful beaches

 

[mickymouse1]

I think all supermarkets should have  free replacement bags .

Paper bags  or is it a con job to RIP US OFF?

[Magenta408]

Plastic is one concern but what about the styrofoam containers they use. That doesn't degrade very fast. What is the alternative for fast food vendors to use?

[Denim]

13 minutes ago, Magenta408 said:

Plastic is one concern but what about the styrofoam containers they use. That doesn't degrade very fast. What is the alternative for fast food vendors to use?

 

[Burma Bill]

Quote:-

"Big retailers like CP All Pcl’s 7-Eleven, signed up early to the plan, pledging to stop handing out plastic bags starting Jan. 1"

 

OH REALLY?? Well, last week I made a selection of purchases in a 7-11 shop at a PTT station near Aranyapratet and the young lady kindly put them in a single use plastic bag from a stack on the counter and gave me a plastic straw from a container also stacked with other plastic straws!! Perhaps the news about the ban was still on its way from Bangkok. Whatever, I was a happy bunny.

[blackcab]

5 minutes ago, Burma Bill said:

last week I made a selection of purchases in a 7-11 shop at a PTT station near Aranyapratet and the young lady kindly put them in a single use plastic bag from a stack on the counter

 

That won't go very well for the franchisee when they are found to be breaking brand standards.

 

All it takes is one post on Facebook.

[Burma Bill]

5 minutes ago, blackcab said:

 

That won't go very well for the franchisee when they are found to be breaking brand standards.

 

All it takes is one post on Facebook.

Thank you, but this I will never do, as a "brand standard" for me is the supply of a plastic bag to carry my purchases from the store - sorry!!

[Don Chance]

A solution is tiffin containers.

 

Next should be banning of plastic bottles, that can easily be replaced by refillable jugs, which every GH  or restaurant should provide anyways. Or cardboard box drinks, glass or cans.

[Khun Paul]

1 hour ago, hotchilli said:

 

I have a few markets not that far from me, the food hygiene coupled with the handlers hygiene is not good, the times I have bought cooked food from them I have been ill. If they wish to state Delicious Street food maybe they should add healthy and clean as well, the fact that they do not means many people I know will no longer buy street food and that includes Thais 

[HHTel]

1 hour ago, Burma Bill said:

Quote:-

"Big retailers like CP All Pcl’s 7-Eleven, signed up early to the plan, pledging to stop handing out plastic bags starting Jan. 1"

 

OH REALLY?? Well, last week I made a selection of purchases in a 7-11 shop at a PTT station near Aranyapratet and the young lady kindly put them in a single use plastic bag from a stack on the counter and gave me a plastic straw from a container also stacked with other plastic straws!! Perhaps the news about the ban was still on its way from Bangkok. Whatever, I was a happy bunny.

There are stories on here that inform us that their 7/11 is still giving plastic bags.  I must admit, I haven't found one so far.  Let's be realistic.  Out of over 10,000 7/11 stores, there are bound to be some who are not following the rule.  Hardly makes the initiative a failure as some are saying.

[Tulak]

4 hours ago, Don Chance said:

A solution is tiffin containers.

 

Next should be banning of plastic bottles, that can easily be replaced by refillable jugs, which every GH  or restaurant should provide anyways. Or cardboard box drinks, glass or cans.

Have seen people using these (see picture), but it seems only when they go to some Temple.

I used to carry my lunch in something similar for many years and it actually tastes better than from plastic.

Also it is easy to keep hot in any oven (or pie-warmer) 

[emptypockets]

5 hours ago, Magenta408 said:

Plastic is one concern but what about the styrofoam containers they use. That doesn't degrade very fast. What is the alternative for fast food vendors to use?

Try reading the linked article.

[KenKadz]

Simple Solution = Everyone stop eating out!

[DaRoadrunner]

13 hours ago, Don Chance said:

A solution is tiffin containers.

Hey, great idea.... it would encourage Indian billionaire tourists.

 

[Enki]

Where would you et those metal ones? We have a few made from plastic, but they don't really fit on top of each other.

[Salerno]

Plenty on Lazada such as this.

[Enki]

1 hour ago, Salerno said:

Plenty on Lazada such as this.

I was more thinking about a real shop ... but thank you.

[mok199]

Instead of a case of free milk for each student each year, try giving each house hold 3 plastic or metal reusable containers...Thais need to be reprogramed in so so many ways, lets start with air and land pollution and work our way up to road carnage....

[tifino]

If they go back from plastic chopstix, to wood

 - make sure you snap them when finished, as they'd likely try to save money, and ignore single use... 

[HHTel]

7 hours ago, Enki said:

Where would you et those metal ones? We have a few made from plastic, but they don't really fit on top of each other.

They're actually call Pintos in Thailand.  I've seen them in hardware shops and I know several Thais who have used them for years.

Just ask a Thai in your area where you can buy pintos.  I'm sure you'll get a positive response.

 

Nothing wrong with using Lazada.  They usually deliver in a day or two.  Incidentally, you aren't buying from Lazada.  They're only a trading hub.  You are actually buying from a retailer/manufacturer, maybe even a 'real shop'.

[Don Chance]

10 hours ago, Enki said:

Where would you et those metal ones? We have a few made from plastic, but they don't really fit on top of each other.

You will get them in little India or China town. I think there is a thai or chinese version.

[richard_smith237]

These bans need to come with real solutions. 

Simply banning something without viable alternatives is not solving a problem its just shunting it along. 

 

People will not want to carry their food containers around all day on the off chance that they may pick up some food on the way home - viable alternatives to the ‘liquids’ issue (i.e. soups etc) need a good alternative. 

 

Additionally, I’m seeing a lot of control on the consumer, i.e. plastic bag bans etc but nearly every item I purchase seems to be impossible to get into because of so much plastic packaging. Isn’t about time that the manufactures are also targeted? how about bans on plastic packaging?