What is being done about plastic over use?

[jomtien99]

Since last year, most supermarkets and convenience stores do not give plastic bags at check out which is progress. However, anyone walking the aisles of any supermarket will find so many food stuffs including vegetables and other packaging in plastic which amounts to a lot more plastic usage than the bags given at check-out. I know this is a supplier and food producer issue, but has any pressure been put on these to food producers to reduce or stop plastic packaging?

Worse are all the coffee shops including the Starbux of this world that still use so many plastic cups, plastic lids and straws.

It seems the Government paid lip service to appease some people by banning plastic bags last year but, they really have not scratched the surface.

[tonray]

Quick....Tilt to the left...windmill coming up fast !

[canopy]

Food containers create the greatest amount of waste in landfills meanwhile manufacturers have converted perfectly fine natural, recyclable containers to plastic ones which are often oversized to boot. It's the consumers fault. People want cheap and the manufacturers give it to them. Consumers don't mind or even prefer the little product in the big bag so you get lots of that. The environment doesn't register on people's agenda. Even if solutions are easy and proven in other parts of the world, no one wants them.

 

I am against reducing plastic bag usage. I am for the complete elimination of plastic bags immediately. If someone wants a bag, sell them a recycled PAPER bag or something of that nature. Thus I found the government policy to reduce disposable bags last year and supplant them with thick reusable plastic bags to be fairly useless. I am not sure how it is working out in Thailand, but consider in the UK the so called "bags for life" are selling by the billion. So much for saving the environment.

 

[varun]

Absolutely nothing - until the 7/11's & hyper-mart chains stop giving out plastic bags like confetti,

nothing will change.

True watershed moment if that happens - wishful thinking.

[malt25]

"What is being done about plastic over use?"   Not much !

[Moonlover]

In my opinion, there is only one way to end the blight of single use plastic and that is to stop producing it in the first place. Put industry on one years notice to change their ways and then ban the stuff outright. 

 

Getting tough and resolute is the only answer.

[Raphael Hythlodaeus]

4 hours ago, Moonlover said:

Getting tough and resolute is the only answer.

Right on !! Just like selling lottery tickets at 80 baht.

[wombat]

i would suggest the power of one be engaged to help overcome over use 

[wombat]

7 hours ago, Moonlover said:

 

Getting tough and resolute is the only answer.

absolutely....the alternative is available

[Percy P]

On 9/11/2020 at 9:57 AM, varun said:

Absolutely nothing - until the 7/11's & hyper-mart chains stop giving out plastic bags like confetti,

nothing will change.

True watershed moment if that happens - wishful thinking.

In the new Big C restaurant yesterday . knife,fork spoon came in a clear plastic bag,and there were four of use. 4 plastic bags  left on the table when we left. No doubt to be put in the bin.

[poloshirt]

All this while I thought they had started using bio-degradable plastic bags that disintegrate and harmless to the soil.  ???- no? nothing of this sort- just a fancy story to cheer you up a bit?

May be saw dust can be glue to make a compact disc for the cover of drinks cup.

I was working as a free lance interpreter for a Japanese Glue Company and I accompany a Japanese to interpret from Japanese to Chinese and vice-versa. The Japanese company was trying to sell glue to all these Ply-wood factories. This glue is used to glue layers of wood together to make ply-wood. Those factories making soft board(for notice board etc.,) will grind those palm trees trunk into powder and glue them together to make soft board. So I don't see why they can't make cups and covers from these cheap materials. The inside of the cup could be line with paper.

It will be bio-degradable of course- it's from palm trees. Or may be from bamboo sawdusts or wood sawdusts.

We should really stop using so much plastic.

 

[canopy]

4 hours ago, wombat said:

i would suggest the power of one be engaged to help overcome over use 

For every piece of garbage you pick off the beach weigh that with the 14 billion pounds of trash that will get dumped into the oceans this year. Next year will be more. It is absolutely futile to try to fix this problem by picking up items washed up on a beach. Worse than that it may be an own goal. If the common people see clean beaches and don't see the trash strewn everywhere they may be less interested in doing anything. If someone wants to make a difference, direct all energy towards stopping the littering. Before the cleanup can begin, the littering must end. The other way around doesn't work. Don't waste your abilities on a doomed strategy.

 

[canopy]

45 minutes ago, poloshirt said:

So I don't see why they can't make cups and covers from these cheap materials.

They already do, but it isn't as cheap and thus 99.99% of the people will say no and demand their cheap plastic. As people have said, tough laws are probably the only way to get results. That probably won't happen and people will look back at our generation and wonder why we polluted so much and cared so little.

 

[Ireland32]

This pandemic has made more plastic in landfills 

[Bigz]

On 9/11/2020 at 9:57 AM, varun said:

Absolutely nothing - until the 7/11's & hyper-mart chains stop giving out plastic bags like confetti,

nothing will change.

True watershed moment if that happens - wishful thinking.

Supermarkets and 7/11s don't give you plastic bags for a long time now.

[impulse]

Simple...

 

Require plastic manufacturers worldwide to mark their company ID on every piece of plastic they make.  The technology is easily available, and generally not so expensive in the scheme of things.  Then send them a bill every time one of their products shows up in a landfill.  Send them a bigger bill if it shows up on the beach.  Have Customs refuse any imports that show up without the markings.  They'll have to pass the cost onto their customers who use the plastic for packaging.  That'll drive up the cost of plastic packaged products.  Then someone will come up with an alternative that costs less from cradle to grave.

[canopy]

Yes it is true that solutions are there and they can be simple, but that doesn't matter. The problem we face now is no one wants a solution. Almost everyone is totally content the oceans are full of garbage and plastic is burned into an unhealthy smog and thrown all over the place. As can be seen people won't change on their own, don't want educated, and it would be very unpopular to use laws against something that almost everyone is totally fine with or is actively participating in. This is the nature of the people of the world we live in. Not everyone thinks like you or I, far from it.

 

[hotchilli]

On 9/11/2020 at 9:18 AM, jomtien99 said:

It seems the Government paid lip service to appease some people by banning plastic bags last year but, they really have not scratched the surface.

Do what you can, sleep peacefully at night and don't stress.

[Max69xl]

"but has any pressure been put on these to food producers to reduce or stop plastic packaging?"

So what do you suggest they should use instead of plastic? The only solution imo is bio-degradable plastic. A bit more expensive but 100% doable. 

[canopy]

On 9/13/2020 at 2:58 PM, Max69xl said:

The only solution imo is bio-degradable plastic

There are way better options. Bio-plastics wouldn't even be in my vocabulary. 

 

On 9/13/2020 at 2:58 PM, Max69xl said:

A bit more expensive

And that is the simple answer why such things are not used. People want cheap. They don't care about saving the environment. The answer to 99% of the questions in the world is money.