Plastic Bags

[Mobi]

Your head and heart are certainly in the right place, and 7-11 seems to be one of the worst culprits when it comes to wasting plastic bags. I can recall one situation where I bought couple of items that were put in a bag. As I was about to leave the cashier, I remembered that I needed some cigarettes. The cashier grabbed my ONE PACK of cigarettes and was about to put it in a smaller bag when I stopped her and opened up the bag she had just given me 30 seconds earlier, inviting her to drop them in there. She looked confused but then smiled and dropped the cigarettes in when I said, "mi toom leow, Khop".

I think your idea is more likely to work with the grocery stores rather than 7-11. When I go to the grocery store, it is usually a planned trip, so I might remember to take some plastic bags. However, when I go into a 7-11, 99% of the time it is unplanned (and I'm sure as heck not going to drive home to get a plastic bag first -- would sort of defeat the environmentally friendly aspect of reusing plastic bags, wouldn't it? 555)

Like I said, I thinks it's the right type of thinking , just the wrong type of store.

Your point is taken.

However, apart from the fact that arguably 7's have a larger and more geographically spread customer base than any single major store, the guy who owns 7/11 is a major Thai/Chinese businessman who can call all the shots. The same is not true of the major stores, that are corporate set ups, most with complex foreign shareholding/ ownership.

For the CP chicken guy - he just has tro say "do it" and it's done. And he is also a guy with political clout.

I reckon the grass roots movement to clean up Thailand could easily start at 7/11, and then move up the tree to the Tescos and Big c's etc, who would be obliged to follow suit.

[wilko]

Re -usable bags for shopping. biodegradable for garbage.

they are on the way out in Oz too.

Edited January 14, 2008 by wilko

[happy7]

Plastic bags have been linked to heath concerns as well. Chemicals in plastic bags (and containers) can leach into your food - particularly if the food/beverage is hot and oily. Health concerns include development problems, memory problems, various types of cancers, etc. See the Mindfully.org website below. In Thailand, it seems almost all cooked food you buy at the market and supermarket are sold in plastic bags, or wrapped in plastic wraps. I think I will take Banaman's example and bring a thermos to get my soy milk!

The plastic used for the bags is (in most cases) HDPE which isn't the same as PVC that's mentioned in the article. The biggest use of PVC these days is for plastic wrap, though most of the brands have switched over to PE which is less clingy. Some of the no-name brands are still PVC and I'd recommend not using it to cover containers or food when heating.

Hi Crash999

So you mean that plastic bags used for cooked foods in the markets, soy milk, etc have no health problems associated with them?

[chicowoodduck]

They just outlawed these bags in China. Starting in June the super thin bags that your groceries come in will be outlawed. Stores will no longer be able to use these bags. Actually they will not be able to give customers bags of any type. If the store has environmentally friendly ones (I think some will biodegrade with sunlight "rather" quickly), then they can sell the new kind to you. Strange that they will not be able to give you an environmentally friendly one, but then TIC (This Is China).

When I was back in San Francisco in December, they had put a ban on the use of plastic bags in the city and I didn't see any riots in the streets because of it! Believe it or not, people DO adapt! I wish they would do the same here in Pattaya City. I usually just skip the plastic bag and throw things in my backpack, unless it something like a fridge or sofa set.

[greenmember]

Saw a short video on Thai TV that someone is diving among corals and fishes and suddenly snack bags slapped on his face and bags are floating all over the place.

Until the government officially ban using plastic bags, it's now a weird thing to carry your own bags to supermarkets or markets.

In my recent 2 trips to CP Freshmart near my home, I brought my own Tesco Lotus bags. Needless to say the lady at counter and her colleagues (delivery men, I think) smiled at me for acting "mei muan krai" (not like anybody else, different from other people). I just smiled and said "I have too many bags at home so I don't want to bring home more".

The old lady next door is getting used to it. Every time I buy eggs, tomatoes, onion leaves, etc., she doesn't take out her bags. The other old lady in market almost shouted "mei dai" (cannot) when I asked her to give the lemongrasses to me and "mei tong sai thoong ka. I have a basket on my bicycle". Yes, I go by bicycle. One more reason for me to stay skinny and help save the benzene oil.

[wilko]

Thailand is obsessed with packaging - my canteen gave me a plastic bag to carry my milk caton up one flight of stairs today!