Thailand Fights Addiction To Plastic Bags

[webfact]

Thailand Fights Addiction to Plastic Bags

By Lynette Lee Corporal

BANGKOK, June 28, 2010 (IPS) - Buy a hairpin and the sales clerk has a microscopic plastic bag for it. A soda purchase from a corner store may end up having the liquid poured into a plastic bag, and then topped off with a plastic straw. There is no plastic bag yet that could fit a car, but if there was one country that could come up with one, Thailand would probably be it.

But here in the capital, local authorities have restarted a campaign to wean the residents of the Thai capital from their plastic bag ‘addiction’.

For the second year in a row, the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) is holding its 45-day 'No Bag, No Baht' project, which offers consumers a one-baht (three U.S. cents) discount for every 100 baht (nearly three dollars) purchase if they use their own cloth bags when shopping in several local markets. Meanwhile, each plastic bag will cost them one baht.

This year’s BMA campaign was launched on Jun. 5, World Environment Day. Last year, the campaign targeted a cutback of 4.4 million plastic bags among Bangkok consumers. This year, BMA authorities want a cutback that is three times that figure.

BMA figures show that every day, more than 600,000 plastic bags are used in this city of nine million people.

Their annual disposal cost reaches more than 600 million baht (18.4 million dollars), city officials have said. Local media have quoted BMA deputy governor Porntep Techapaibul as saying that of the city’s daily 10,000 tonnes of trash, about 1,800 tonnes are plastic bags, a number projected to increase by about 20 percent each year.

By now, many Bangkok residents have heard of the health and environmental hazards posed by plastic bags. Made from a non-renewable natural resource, petroleum, the bags have for their main ingredient polyethylene — or polythene — which is said to take 1,000 years to decompose on land and 450 years in water.

Story continues: ipsnews.net

-- IPS

2010-06-28

[craigt3365]

I take my own cloth bags to Tesco, Carrefour, etc. They look at me like I'm crazy! And it's hard to tell the clerks at 7/11, etc., that you don't want a plastic bag. It's only a can of coke! I don't need a bag for it.

My wife says it's a Thai thing...they feel if they don't get a bag, they are getting ripped off...go figure...

[Thailand]

I take my own cloth bags to Tesco, Carrefour, etc. They look at me like I'm crazy! And it's hard to tell the clerks at 7/11, etc., that you don't want a plastic bag. It's only a can of coke! I don't need a bag for it.

My wife says it's a Thai thing...they feel if they don't get a bag, they are getting ripped off...go figure...

Same, we have used our own cloth bags for over 16 years in various countries. Every little helps but we are definitely the oddities amongst the masses.

Could simply charge for plastic bags as they did in HK and now China, that tends to make people think more-maybe!

[rennie45]

I take my own cloth bags to Tesco, Carrefour, etc. They look at me like I'm crazy! And it's hard to tell the clerks at 7/11, etc., that you don't want a plastic bag. It's only a can of coke! I don't need a bag for it.

My wife says it's a Thai thing...they feel if they don't get a bag, they are getting ripped off...go figure...

Same here, Tesco are now giving green points if you bring your own bags, not sure what you can use them for yet.

[9ninetynine]

It's a business run by the 'special' people so don't expect this to disappear any time soon!

[isaanbrit]

My wife says it's a Thai thing...

God I hate it when people say that "Oh, it's a Thai thing", corruption - "its a Thai thing", lateness, "its a Thai thing" or, my personal favorite, Greng jai (being considerate) "its a Thai thing" - as if no other nation has the concept of being considerate towards other people - 555555

:-)

[lonewolf99]

I take my own cloth bags to Tesco, Carrefour, etc. They look at me like I'm crazy! And it's hard to tell the clerks at 7/11, etc., that you don't want a plastic bag. It's only a can of coke! I don't need a bag for it.

My wife says it's a Thai thing...they feel if they don't get a bag, they are getting ripped off...go figure...

Same, we have used our own cloth bags for over 16 years in various countries. Every little helps but we are definitely the oddities amongst the masses.

Could simply charge for plastic bags as they did in HK and now China, that tends to make people think more-maybe!

I work in Kazakhstan and they charge the eq of 1 UK pence for a plastic bag. The streets are spotlessly clean. They have legions of (mostly women) street orderlys constantly sweeping up and cleaning up the garbage.

You hardly see a dog end.

If only Thailand was the same. Plastic bag addiction really is hard to cure. Middle Eastern and African countries are the same.

More power to this Thai minister to resolve this issue. Maybe if the police were allowed to fine people dumping rubbish on the streets the tonnage might fall. The Police are good at getting money for "other" demeanors......

[farangpattaya]

Same, we have used our own cloth bags for over 16 years in various countries. Every little helps but we are definitely the oddities amongst the masses.

Could simply charge for plastic bags as they did in HK and now China, that tends to make people think more-maybe!

No oddity. Charging for plastic bags is common use in a lot of countries. Where I'm from they charge Euro 0.25 - 0.50 for a mutli-useable plastic bag, up to Euro 1 for a so called "big shopper". A shopping bag with reinforced textile.

Especially in the Western European countries, there's deposits on glass bottles, alu cans, pvc bottles.

There are a lot of ways to control the flood-of-waste.

Regarding Thailand: Next step should be the polystyreen food-containers.

[Tokay]

Considering the Crown Property Bureau owns the company that makes most of those bags, don't count on this movement going very far until they move into producing green products.

[Mrjlh]

Simple solution would be that the Thai stores to start buying "biodegradable" bags and use them. Yes, they exist are being used elsewhere and in fact everywhere else it seems. They are actually made from "vegetable oil" and "plasticizers". I have been given them to me here a few times so I know they do exist here. The bags are identified by a "recyclable" label printed on it. They literally self destruct in 3-6 months with exposure to heat or UV light.

[Tokay]

I take my own cloth bags to Tesco, Carrefour, etc. They look at me like I'm crazy! And it's hard to tell the clerks at 7/11, etc., that you don't want a plastic bag. It's only a can of coke! I don't need a bag for it.

My wife says it's a Thai thing...they feel if they don't get a bag, they are getting ripped off...go figure...

Did you make yours or did you purchase them somewhere? I've been wanting large cloth bags to do the same but have been unable to find any of quality around here.

[Khunjon]

Plastic bags In New Zealand last about 1- 2 months in the ground. We went through this no bags and 'save the planet

bags'. Eventually the speed of getting people through the checkouts won I guess.

There is an Australian company which has a plant, in Melbourne I think, that makes diesel fuel from plastic bags. 1 kilo of bags 1 kilo of fuel.

There was research done at Chulalongkorn University some years ago on the problem of getting plastic bags to degrade

Not sure of the outcome

[paulchiangmai]

9 million people use 600,000 plastic bags per day? Is that not one bag per person every 15 days? A likely story.

Is that right that they weigh 1,800 tonnes every day, 600,000 plastic bags weigh 1,800 tonnes? They must be thicker and heavier than the bags we get here in Chiang Mai. Correct me if I am wrong as maths was never my strong point.

[Lizard2010]

We have stopped giving out plastic bags in South Australia.

Plus South Australia recycles 70% of what can be recycles from out total rubbish.

Not bad for a small population of 1.2 million.

If that could be done world wide the landfill areas would take longer to fill and less pollution.

We use our cloth bags to do our weekly shopping.

[olivier2553]

Rather than targeting markets, the campaign could target convenience stores:

- younger public, may react positively to the ecology message

- it is useless to try to educate older people, rather concentrate on the future generations

- convenience stores covers the full country, not only Bangkok

- clerks are young and easier to teach a new attitude (it takes usually only one wek to change the good bye message "thank you and we hope to see you again" in all the shops across the country, it will not take any longer to have them ask the customer before using a bag)

- single interface point between the administration and the convenience stores central management

[Token]

Another good solution is biodegradeable plastic bags. They sell them in Makro and are very cheap - just like normal in quality and price. Plastic bags are needed for so many things these days that I think this might be the long-term answer, perhaps coupled with a price increase for non-bio bags. Money talks!

[beau51]

I thought it was bad in Thailand, until I moved to the UAE. Emeratis have no concept of "green". While the government talks up conservation and recycling, there are no recycling bins anywhere and the reality is that the mounds of garbage, including millions of plastic bags are simply trucked out to the desert and buried in pits. The people of the Middle East are massive consumers and waste generators, and could care less about the environmental impact of their vulgarly excessive lifestyles.

In countries where there hasn't been a comprehensive education in environmental responsibility, charging people money might be the only thing to shock them into complying.

[junglist]

Don’t forget the drinking straws. I even see them drinking beer with them. This has to be doing a lot of damage also.

[thaikahuna]

I was here in 71. The Thais were recycling then before it became the trendy thing to do. They developed these diabolical plastic bags that are virtually indestructible...they hold liquids without leaking both hot and cold. How I wish we had something like that in the USA many years ago. Now the Thais still recycle but are not gaining any ground because of these amazingly durable plastic bags. I would be glad to use some good, sturdy, cloth bags BUT (and there always is) I honestly have no idea where to buy them. If someone knows, please PM me....

[bkkjames]

I remember the good old days of brown paper bags for groceries and trips to the convenience store.

Someone tried to introduce them here but couldn't figure out how to get the bottoms from falling out as they slurped away on their soft drink with ice.

[thaibkk]

it is a good thing, i think, specially for all those &lt;deleted&gt; who own a kind of dump and burn that cancer so everybody can enjoy the brown and black toxic fumes ... and police, you can call them, and what they do : we will tell the person he cannot do and that guilty person reply : i will do it as little as possible<BR><BR>no fine, no fee, nothing...<BR><BR>welcome to amazing thailand<BR><BR><BR>ps: i live in a moo baan and it happens just outside and the wind is not favorable ...

[leozaza]

This happens to me also in Malaysia, where I once brought my backpac into a small supermarket and was quite happy to use that for the groceries I'd purchased.  The girl behind the checkout was about to pack everything into plastic bags and I said I didn't need them and to just fill the backpac. I was helping her to do just that when the Manager appeared and started telling her off for not providing plastic bags. I told him it's OK I will use my own bag and they looked at me like I was from another planet!  They even laughed as I left the store quite amused by my using MY OWN bag for the things I'd bought in THEIR store.  <br><br>The "no plastic bag campaign" has been in Australia for some years such that supermarkets will now ask at the checkout "Are you planning to buy a bag today?" if they see you haven't brought your own bags in to the store. <br><br>There seems to be a certain cache involved especially in SE Asia with the plastic bag being seen as some kind of indication that the store is truly modern.  Not necessary to have them thrust upon you for even the smallest purchase.<br><br><br>

Edited June 28, 2010 by leozaza

[craigt3365]

I got my bags when I bought a large bundle of paper towels. Nice, sturdy, cloth bags. Back home, I bought some from Walmart and the local grocery store. We try to use them as much as possible...and also bring plastic bags with us to the store to reuse again. But I have never seen them on sale here....

In Rwanda, plastic bags are illegal...even to bring in! They were checking everybody at the airport. Crazy, but I liked it.

In Russia, I had to pay a small fee for a bag to carry my groceries in. Perfect. Need to start doing that here. They were actually going to implement it last year, but the recession won out. I believe Carrefour and Tesco were both going to start doing this...

We were actually the first people to get "green" points at the local Tesco. The manager had to come over and help the cashier figure out what to do...I am not sure what the points are for, but don't really care...we use our own bags all the time and will continue to do so...strange looks and all...

[Tokay]

I remember the good old days of brown paper bags for groceries and trips to the convenience store.

Someone tried to introduce them here but couldn't figure out how to get the bottoms from falling out as they slurped away on their soft drink with ice.

As silly as that sounds I could totally see that happening. Just dumbfounded at why the bottom of the bag keeps breaking.

On a serious note, if some falang can come up with a way to turn all these bags into something else the Thais would use day and night (say... booze, smokes, straws, nose inhalers, red fanta or other offerings to Pii), you'd be sitting on a goldmine so long as the BIB don't tea money you to death.

[kevin2008]

Plastic bag charge introduced in Ireland 4th March 2002 .

[djayz]

lol - ah, one of my favourite topics! Usually I have a medium sized backpack with me and use that to carry any purchases I make during the day. The Thais look at me as if I were from another planet! My gf simply doesn't understand why I don't want my books wrapped in plastic after I buy them at the book store... after 2 years she still can't explain to me WHY the books should be wrapped AND placed in a plastic bag...

A couple of European countries have reduced the use of plastic bags: they simply charge their customers for EVERY plastic bag they use. Many people now just take a basket, box, etc. with them to the store... If I remember correctly they wanted to introduce the same approach in Thailand in late 2009 / early 2010 but apparently they postponed this. Does anybody remember why?

[AA1]

Waste disposal in Thailand is a big problem which DOES need to be sorted out. I agree that plastic bags are a start but the problem is so much larger.

In Bangkok plus other cities and towns, houses etc. do have Wheelie Bins on the whole and Refuse lorries to collect the rubbish BUT anyway at the appartment block where I lived in Bangkok how inefficient!! The lorry came on its round nightly with a crew of 5 or 6 men. Each rubbish bag was searched through and any glass or tin etc. was put in seperate bags on top for selling to a recycle firm on the way to the tip. Extra money for the crew. The process outside our appartment block took about 1/2 an hour and left a filthy mess. Pay more, just have 3 men on each lorry, collect with no searching and have a central recycling point at the dump. Cleaner, efficient and more cost effective BUT that's NOT the Thai way!!

Now living in the country, a different problem. NO rubbish collection!! What do all the locals do - burn all that will burn, plastic and all causing air pollution BUT the good side is that everyone does save all glass, metal, paper/cardboard etc. which they can sell a local middle man who in turn sells in bulk to a recycling factory. We do have a dustbin which we fill but then comes the problem of what to do with it when full. Tie the top of the liner, put it into the back of the pick-up when we are going to the local town and leave it by a dustbin for collection there!!! Are we any better than the locals who burn? Debatable but we feel better doing it!

Trying to reduse the number of plastic bags IS a start but the problem of waste disposal in Thailand will take a generation or more to get them to change the old ways!!

[bluedog]

<br>I take my own cloth bags to Tesco, Carrefour, etc.  They look at me like I'm crazy!  And it's hard to tell the clerks at 7/11, etc., that you don't want a plastic bag.  It's only a can of coke!  I don't need a bag for it.<br><br>My wife says it's a Thai thing...they feel if they don't get a bag, they are getting ripped off...go figure...<br>

<br><br><div><br></div><div>Like you I used to bring my own bags when shopping in Thailand.  I have recently moved to Penang, for one reason or another, and here there are no plastic bags in supermarkets from Monday to Thursday (unless you want to pay for them).  I think if they tried that in Bangkok everybody would starve to death, ah well at least the plastic bag consumption would decrease.  They just need to educate the masses. easier said than done.<br><br>

</div>

[hardy1943]

It's a business run by the 'special' people so don't expect this to disappear any time soon!

Very special people most likely the same ones that own all the girlie bars too

[asiawatcher]

A lot of the problems with plastic bags being dumped in the streets and rivers (khlongs et al) is lack of education to the Thai populace. I have had a thousand occasions where I have had a Thai (kids, parents etc) drop their crap as they walk down the street and I have gone behind them, picked them up, handed it back and told them mai suparb! It seems to work as they always wai'd and gave a khortort.

But plastic is a real problem in Thailand choking khlongs, gutters and generally rubbish on land dumps on vacant blocks. Tri wheel recyclers have some affect but generally it comes down to the Tesco's, Carrefours, MBK's and Emporiums as well as the Thai markets like Prathumwan and every where there are retailers, not forgetting the plastic bags for drinks!

Paper is biodegradable but non green in that it depletes trees. Plastic can be biodegradable provided the cost of packaging is passed on to consumers. If the likes of the chain stores were to start charging 10 Baht flat fee per customer for plastic at a checkout you would soon have changes in consumption. But there still has to be a system for keeping Thailand clean from plastic dumping. Let's target TV newspapers for education and some freebies for TV visual impact.

No easy solution.