Why is the Thai Countryside full of discarded rubbish?

[stix40]

Any idea why ?

The countryside here is turning into one big tip !

Plastic and discarded rubbish everywhere 

Are people here not interested in their precious country? 

Answers on a postcard 

[NoDisplayName]

Out of sight, out of....................squirrel!

[KhunLA]

1 hour ago, stix40 said:

Any idea why ?

The countryside here is turning into one big tip !

Plastic and discarded rubbish everywhere 

Are people here not interested in their precious country? 

Answers on a postcard 

Rhetorical no doubt 

[richard_smith237]

I've travelled to (worked in) a lot of ropey area... (some of them... proper Sh... holes)...   

 

One thing that always strikes me is the amount of rubbish & litter.

 

We could be placed in any location and just by the amount of rubbish around we can tell the level of development of the Nation. 

 

... of course, that's an assumed generalisation and I'm sure there are very poor nations which don't have a littler issue, but in general I see this patter.

 

In Thailand - the issue is simply education....  Thai's are incredibly nationalistic on a personal level, yet seem to have complete disregard for their nation on a public level - perhaps thats true of many nations... 

 

The UK had a massive litter issue until they went full stream ahead with anti-litter campaigns in the 70's and 80's...  perhaps its time for more campaigns again, as some area's of the UK are atrocious now, where as other area's considered more affluent don't... 

 

...  perhaps the issue is simply down to the general socio-economics and education of those in the area. 

[johng]

1 hour ago, stix40 said:

Are people here not interested in their precious country?

 

No not really  as witnessed by the yearly burning of half the countrside

and resultant "deadly"  PM10 and PM2.5 particulate matter smog.

 

It in no way helps that the government or local authorities don't organise regular rubbish collection in many areas of the country...there seems to be no  "official" places that citizens can go and dump their building rubble,left over oil, old batteries,fluorescent tubes,

e-waste,furniture,fridges etc etc...just leave it by the side of the road and whatever has some value will be scavenged by the silent army of rubbish pickers...the rest goes up in smoke to add to the smog.

[KhunLA]

8 minutes ago, richard_smith237 said:

One thing that always strikes me is the amount of rubbish & litter.   ...   We could be placed in any location and just by the amount of rubbish around we can tell the level of development of the Nation. 

With the level of pollution, corruption & litter, TH will always be a 3rd world country, with modern things 

 

Seems their idea of progress is 1 step forward, 2 steps back

[KhunBENQ]

Walk in a fancy mall, get a coffee to go in a paper/plastic cup.

When finished try to find a garbage can.

Drive along a highway and see the rubbish flying off from the car ahead.

...

Many other observations possible.

In the Central malls that I visit, it's a detective job to find a garbage can.

 

Edited May 10 by KhunBENQ

[Middle Aged Grouch]

Because there are no garbage cans with proper disposal services. No recycling points where people can bring their used fridges or furniture to be disposed properly. One may wonder where all the public money goes...even though we all know the answer.

[JeffersLos]

To give poor and homeless people an opportunity to make a few baht and be able to afford some food. 

 

It's very considerate of everyday folk to purposely and nobly leave their trash everywhere and anywhere in order to help the poor and less fortunate.

[scubascuba3]

Countryside isn't full of rubbish, where i cycle i see a few fly tipping areas, there lies the problem, authorities aren't up to speed with stopping fly tipping 

[ExpatOilWorker]

31 minutes ago, richard_smith237 said:

I've travelled to (worked in) a lot of ropey area... (some of them... proper Sh... holes)...   

 

One thing that always strikes me is the amount of rubbish & litter.

 

We could be placed in any location and just by the amount of rubbish around we can tell the level of development of the Nation. 

 

... of course, that's an assumed generalisation and I'm sure there are very poor nations which don't have a littler issue, but in general I see this patter.

 

In Thailand - the issue is simply education....  Thai's are incredibly nationalistic on a personal level, yet seem to have complete disregard for their nation on a public level - perhaps thats true of many nations... 

 

The UK had a massive litter issue until they went full stream ahead with anti-litter campaigns in the 70's and 80's...  perhaps its time for more campaigns again, as some area's of the UK are atrocious now, where as other area's considered more affluent don't... 

 

...  perhaps the issue is simply down to the general socio-economics and education of those in the area. 

The Thai solution will be more litter police and more 2,000 fines for dropping a paperclip on Sukhumvit. 

[ChicagoExpat]

Even the nicest restaurant, resort, or hotel will have piles of garbage laying around in plain sight -- old furniture, sinks, etc.

 

Thai people themselves have such good hygiene, weird that they tolerate so much rubbish where they live and work.

[BangkokReady]

6 hours ago, stix40 said:

Any idea why ?

 

Thai people believe it to be an OK thing to do and don't see anything negative in doing it.  Asia in general isn't really a place for preserving nature and such.  Just put concrete over it then you don't have to maintain it is often the attitude.

[G Rex]

I see similar things in rural Thailand as I saw while traveling through Central and South America. Household waste was simply thrown out the back of the house - where it would be cleaned up by dogs, rats, birds, ants etc.   The problem now is that there is so much waste that is either inedible or non-biodegradable.

Add to that- there are very few places where legal dumping can by done (in my area at least) - so all public and non-farmland is fair game to become a tip.

 

Nothing will change here unless there is a major public awareness campaign against littering - and alternatives are provided to the people. (As in designated rubbish collecting sites or recycling - however I have no confidence in 'real' recycling occurring in Thailand because recycling costs money).    

[BillyBloggs]

14 hours ago, scubascuba3 said:

Countryside isn't full of rubbish, where i cycle i see a few fly tipping areas, there lies the problem, authorities aren't up to speed with stopping fly tipping 

Well on my morning walks, there is lots of litter on the roadside mainly drink containers and food containers, it slowly peters out at about 6 klms from town, and there are a few areas where some individuals weekly dump their household rubbish.

[RasiMike]

Years ago my wife operated a little store that had no less than 3 rubbish bins along the 5 mtr journey from counter to footpath. Many still dropped wrappers as they mounted their bikes and rode off. 🙃

[klauskunkel]

Thais feel the urgent need to decorate their surroundings as much as possible, it's an expression of love for their country.

[rwill]

30 years ago or so it used to be much worse than it is now.  That said I have recently noticed an increase in the amount of garbage being thrown out on the roadsides.  Seems like they are regressing.  I have a neighbor in the mooban who refused to pay when the garbage collection went from 20 to 50 baht per month.  They either burn garbage in a vacant lot or go find some road to dump it in.

Edited May 10 by rwill

[scubascuba3]

48 minutes ago, BillyBloggs said:

Well on my morning walks, there is lots of litter on the roadside mainly drink containers and food containers, it slowly peters out at about 6 klms from town, and there are a few areas where some individuals weekly dump their household rubbish.

Generally in Pattaya the road sweepers do a good job, i see them out 6am. In my soi a couple of ladies come who sweep for a hobby it seems

[Henryford]

Yes Thailand is quite bad for litter but nothing compared to th Middle East where i worked for a while. The whole country was like one rubbish tip.

 

BTW i don't thing a lack of bins is an excuse for littering. It is quite easy to keep your litter until you find a suitable spot to dispose of it. It's just laziness.

[Rampant Rabbit]

despite  all their BS  about the great Thai Nation, they really dont give a  <deleted>  about their  rubbish, combine this with sheer bone idleness and there you have it.

[Rampant Rabbit]

56 minutes ago, RasiMike said:

Years ago my wife operated a little store that had no less than 3 rubbish bins along the 5 mtr journey from counter to footpath. Many still dropped wrappers as they mounted their bikes and rode off. 🙃

in a nutshell thats it, theyre  lazy.

[Rampant Rabbit]

15 hours ago, scubascuba3 said:

Countryside isn't full of rubbish, where i cycle i see a few fly tipping areas, there lies the problem, authorities aren't up to speed with stopping fly tipping 

you  dont see it because its  hidden in the 6  foot  tall grass edges of the roadsides that they never  cut.

[Presnock]

well lately, we see "suspiscious" fires at warehouses storing e-waste.  from news articles, there is so much e-waste because in 2017 Thailand signed with China who outlawed the e-waste storage so that it would come down to Thailand.  Now that there was the fire in Ayuttaya, the govt hinted at greater investigation of said facilities to ensure proper handling of the waste  Then we had the Cadmium fiasco, which then has been followed by many more fires.  I believe many will just say oh that is because of the really hot weather, but in my opinion, it has to do with the waste materials burning and the fact that the government appears ready to investigate the waste storage conditions and its effect on the public.  Once an investigation occurs, then depending on who pays for solving the problems, it will either go away quietly or nothing will happen at all until the next govt tries to fix things.  That is my opinion.  It is not an easy solve that is for sure but I hope the govt can begin solving it as it seems to be getting much worse.

[Bangkok Barry]

 

Some have mentioned fly-tipping, which is not the same as littering. The former appears to be a far bigger problem in my native UK, from what I've read, but littering there is not.

 

In Thailand, there often appears to be no pride in their surroundings, especially the area around their house. When I moved into the house I have now, I filled two very large sacks with litter from the verge outside. Every week when the rubbish is put out for collection, I always need to add a few latest pieces. Why are they like this? Because, like little children, they need to be told how to behave, and no-one does it.

[thailand49]

Here in Pattaya,  they have spent all the funds where it matters visually all place Beach Road. There are so many to impress tourist they take up all the parking spaces.

Go to the Darkside far and in between.  

As noted it is education and follow up which is ZERO.  Also noted go to a mall try finding one.

My wife restaurant each table has a small bin rarely they use tissue 9-10 times on the floor.

No surprise any empty lot on isolated Soi, the land if not fence off is a dump.

[Andre0720]

16 hours ago, richard_smith237 said:

I've travelled to (worked in) a lot of ropey area... (some of them... proper Sh... holes)...   

 

One thing that always strikes me is the amount of rubbish & litter.

 

We could be placed in any location and just by the amount of rubbish around we can tell the level of development of the Nation. 

 

... of course, that's an assumed generalisation and I'm sure there are very poor nations which don't have a littler issue, but in general I see this patter.

 

In Thailand - the issue is simply education....  Thai's are incredibly nationalistic on a personal level, yet seem to have complete disregard for their nation on a public level - perhaps thats true of many nations... 

 

The UK had a massive litter issue until they went full stream ahead with anti-litter campaigns in the 70's and 80's...  perhaps its time for more campaigns again, as some area's of the UK are atrocious now, where as other area's considered more affluent don't... 

 

...  perhaps the issue is simply down to the general socio-economics and education of those in the area. 

Just a few comments, particularly as it relates to 'education'.

As I observed 'education' and 'civilized society', I came to the conclusion that being civilized is a prerequisite to education.

 

I remember thinking about the Vikings, and thinking about 'educating' these people. Nah, no way, must get civilized before.

 

"What is civilization in simple words?

A civilization is generally defined as an advanced state of human society containing highly developed forms of government, culture, industry, and common social norms. Of course, not all scholars agree with this definition. In fact, there is much debate over what constitutes a civilization and what does not."

And as it relates to Thailand: "highly developed forms of government", coup after coup after coup. Then "culture and common social norms", as they intertwine. Common social norms, application of laws of the land, hummm. Courtesy on the roads, hummm. Fairness in the application of the laws, hummm. The freedom of one stops where the freedom of the other starts, hummm.

 

This country is simply not civilized, even though the highly educated people certainly are....

 

And regarding socio-economics, I remember as a child, living in poor areas, farmers, blue-collar workers.

Civilization was there, we could not see thrash everywhere. The culture was there. We put thrash together, and leave them for collection, governed by an already developed form of government.

 

In Thailand, just large bags of thrash, with small garbage items thrown close by on the ground. And poor people driving by collecting plastic and recyclables, having to sort them out of the thrash bags. I still look at them thinking that people, all of them, do not care a bit about the people collecting the recyclables. Not a bit, the level of selfishness is right there for everyone to see. I am definitely the only one who separates recyclables from thrash. And I see people coming out of the 7-11 with their goods, and throwing on the ground their purchase bill, right next to the supplied garbage bins.

 

India and the Philippines have the same level of civilization, based on pics available...

[ThaiFelix]

Why is the Thai Countryside full of discarded rubbish?

because the cities are already full!

[newbee2022]

19 hours ago, stix40 said:

Any idea why ?

The countryside here is turning into one big tip !

Plastic and discarded rubbish everywhere 

Are people here not interested in their precious country? 

Answers on a postcard 

Because they can't discard their waste within the city they do it in the countryside. 😂

[Classic Ray]

I just had to get rid of some termite infested furniture and had to pay 1000 baht for a truck to take it away. Don’t know what he did with it.

 

i haven’t been able to find any local authority tip in Bangkok open to the public to properly dispose of rubbish.