Buying online in Thailand means you are adding to the global plastic waste problem

[hotchilli]

59 minutes ago, thaibook said:

Better to provide incentives and let each person decide what is best for him. 

Any manufacturing company that produces wrapping or packaging could cut costs by 50% or double profits depending which way you look at it by making the vessel the same size as the contents.... is that not incentive enough?

Ex: Instead of having a One litre/Kg container with 500ml/grams inside?

[Ralf001]

2 hours ago, KhunLA said:

Also notice since the 'situation', use of single use plastic has increased about 10 fold ... ???? 

What a joke

 

Before the "situation", checkout chicks at the 7/11 used to give me a half dozen drinking straws with each small bottle of fizzy drink I purchased.

 

These days ya damn near gotta fight with em to get one !

[KhunLA]

19 minutes ago, hotchilli said:

Any manufacturing company that produces wrapping or packaging could cut costs by 50% or double profits depending which way you look at it by making the vessel the same size as the contents.... is that not incentive enough?

Ex: Instead of having a One litre/Kg container with 500ml/grams inside?

Pringles is a fine example of 'oversize' package.  Quite silly, and causes the 'crisps' to get broken.  If the 'right' size then people would realize how little you are getting when 1st time buying.

[Tropposurfer]

7 hours ago, JTXR said:

Unless you carry your own bag in your pocket as a matter of course.

Yep that's what we do. No throw away plastic cups of coffee containers used in about 5 years (pre and post LOS move), we refuse what few plastic bags we get at every opportunity, we always take our own shopping bags and reuse the plastic ones we use over and over - for about 6 months before needing to renew them.

When we go out to buy meals (e.g. gai tod) we take our own reusable containers and ask them to put our foods in those (always have clean ones in the cars to grab if we buy food unscheduled.

It's all very easy to do and requires very little effort, but it does require commitment and mindfulness.

We gift reusable drink containers, and cool looking shopping bags to our flalang, and Thai friends at Xmas, birthdays, everyone loves and uses the heck out of them ☺️.  When we go and buy clothes etc we refuse the excessive wrapping and bags as we pull out a fashionable cotton carry bags ☺️????

[TheScience]

Thailand simply does not know any longer how to exist without plastic.

 

Like every other issue if national importance no one cares.

 

Nation is absolutely choked in plastic.

[transam]

2 minutes ago, TheScience said:

Thailand simply does not know any longer how to exist without plastic.

 

Like every other issue if national importance no one cares.

 

Nation is absolutely choked in plastic.

And the west isn't.....?....????

[TheScience]

Just now, transam said:

And the west isn't.....?....????

No, the US in particular doesn't have half the problems I see personally.

 

In fact, Thailand looks more like the Philippines daily (I've said this for years).

[transam]

Just now, TheScience said:

No, the US in particular doesn't have half the problems I see personally.

 

In fact, Thailand looks more like the Philippines daily (I've said this for years).

Go in any shop in the west and what do you see, Plastic. Plastic wrappers advertising the probably small item inside.

Half a century ago, buy a shirt, it's in a box, all nicely wrapped again in tissue or plastic. Go in a farang supermarket now, I reckon 99% of it is in plastic, from a sealed bag to cellophane wrap.. The hygiene thingy.

So no, LOS is no worse than farangland, in fact didn't LOS ban plastic carrier bags...????

 

[TheScience]

1 minute ago, transam said:

LOS ban plastic carrier bags...

Just like everything of this nature it goes away and then resurfaces. I think I can pretty much get plastic bags at everywhere I go now Max value, big c, 711...

[transam]

4 minutes ago, TheScience said:

Just like everything of this nature it goes away and then resurfaces. I think I can pretty much get plastic bags at everywhere I go now Max value, big c, 711...

Of course, but they did have a bag ban....Same as a beer ban, my point is, LOS is no different to farangland in its wrapping department...???? 

 

[KhunLA]

8 minutes ago, TheScience said:

Just like everything of this nature it goes away and then resurfaces. I think I can pretty much get plastic bags at everywhere I go now Max value, big c, 711...

Most of our shopping is at Makro, which never bagged your purchases.  Have 2 sturdy bags for those outings.

 

The bag ban thing didn't last long at 7-11s, although I bring my own, JIC they want to charge me for a bag (lately if out of town), though won't show/use unless they ask if I want to buy, then I'll use mine.  Their's always good for bin liner.  Local 7-11 back to simply providing, no charge.

 

Strangely, we have an ever growing box of plastic bags, and haven't bought trash bags since the 'ban' and stores not providing or charging.  The ban did point out how many we were wasting.  We apparently buy enough things in bin liner size packaging / bags, when opened properly / carefully, work as bin liners.  I also see locals at the veggy & meat section, tossing a few extra bags in their cart ???? ... shh

 

Eating very little processed food helps of course, and keeps our packaging 'trash' to a minimal.

[PETERTHEEATER]

9 hours ago, webfact said:

The country has an average of 1.03 tons of mismanaged waste each year.

With only 1.03 tons per year that is VERY low. I see more than that littering local beaches daily.

[djayz]

Buying a single banana here in certain stores and supermarkets also contributes to plastic waste. 

[metisdead]

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[JetsetBkk]

21 hours ago, KhunLA said:

Strangely, we have an ever growing box of plastic bags

"Box of plastic bags" ??

 

I have a room full!

[poskat]

we are all going to die.....

[JetsetBkk]

3 minutes ago, poskat said:

we are all going to die.....

We will if we stuff our heads in all those unwanted plastic bags.

[RJRS1301]

16 minutes ago, JetsetBkk said:

"Box of plastic bags" ??

 

I have a room full!

Perhaps donated to RTP interrogation purposes?

 

[jumbo]

I have that taken care off pretty easily. I hand it to my neighbor the farmer who burns it twice per year with his left over crop

[John Drake]

Buying online in Thailand means you are adding to the global plastic waste problem

 

Signed,

Central Retail Corp.

[John Drake]

Not clear cut. Plastic wrapping prolongs the shelf life of some fruits and vegetables.

 https://www.abc.net.au/news/rural/2019-03-25/fruit-and-vegetable-packaging-in-supermarkets-and-food-waste/10925374

[KhunLA]

I think 'plastic' is the least thing to worry about, if so inclined, or caring.  The electric (fossil fueled) to operate sorting stations, electric scanners for tracking (making & battery), fuel for shipping, local and or international.

 

Simply having the ability to read & reply to this thread ... you, we are the problem.  ????

 

All those not being an organic subsistence farmer should be ashamed of themselves.

Ask me if I care ... 

[scorecard]

1 hour ago, JetsetBkk said:

"Box of plastic bags" ??

 

I have a room full!

I was recently in Australia for a while, in a wheelchair. I bought many medicines, groceries and more on line.

 

Some suppliers now mention on their online websites that their products are not delivered using any type of plastics.

 

The initial wrapping, padding etc is all discarded poor quality recyclable paper, and the outer wrapping is poor quality recyclable cardboard. All lightweight of course.

 

Groceries come in paper bags all inserted into bigger stronger paper bags, left at the door no contact. 

 

One online pharma mentions on their website that they will pick up all used online packing materials, free, when they make a delivery. 

 

One pharma. supplier mentions they are changing to use delivery agents who only use all electric vehicles. 

 

I recall a news item where one local council is trying to organize local pick up points, planned so most/all shoppers can walk to the pick up point and home again.

 

All aiming at reducing the total no. of kilometers travelled by delivery vehicles. Their calculation of 'kilometers saved' was more than 50%, therefore a big reduction in carbon emissions.

Edited January 27, 2022 by scorecard

[JetsetBkk]

39 minutes ago, scorecard said:

I was recently in Australia for a while, in a wheelchair. I bought many medicines, groceries and more on line.

 

Some suppliers now mention on their online websites that their products are not delivered using any type of plastics.

 

The initial wrapping, padding etc is all discarded poor quality recyclable paper, and the outer wrapping is poor quality recyclable cardboard. All lightweight of course.

 

Groceries come in paper bags all inserted into bigger stronger paper bags, left at the door no contact. 

 

One online pharma mentions on their website that they will pick up all used online packing materials, free, when they make a delivery. 

 

One pharma. supplier mentions they are changing to use delivery agents who only use all electric vehicles. 

 

I recall a news item where one local council is trying to organize local pick up points, planned so most/all shoppers can walk to the pick up point and home again.

 

All aiming at reducing the total no. of kilometers travelled by delivery vehicles. Their calculation of 'kilometers saved' was more than 50%, therefore a big reduction in carbon emissions.

I periodically leave my old, flattened boxes and plastic bags out for the garbage recyclers. I left out a couple of old UPS batteries yesterday - they were gone in 2 hours. 

 

That reminds me, time to chuck out some more bags and boxes: