Stopping Locals Burning Plastic Bags.

[Latindancer]

A local lady (outskirts of Bangkok) burns plastic bags occasionally and as the prevailing breeze blows towards our apartment, we smell it strongly. Burnt plastic bags produce dioxin, so I'm not too happy with this. I went over to see what was going on, and as I don't speak Thai, all I could do was mime smelling the smoke and vomiting. She hardly took notice of me and continued to throw bags on the fire.

I don't want to pay a local policeman to go and tell her to stop, as this may cause resentment. And I already know about Thais and resentment / revenge.

Is it feasible to approach the Ministry of Health (or whatever they are called) and get them to send an officer to chat with her ? After all, there are two girls living there too (who may be her daughters) and dioxin will affect them badly too. As well as other neighbours.

Who can I approach ?

The only other thing I can think of is to create some small posters in perfect Thai, warning of the dangers of burning plastic, and unobtrusively stick them around the area one night.

Edited July 12, 2011 by Latindancer

[seriouseats]

Delete your post, You will be swamped with fat men telling you to leave the country if you can't deal with it.

Edited July 12, 2011 by seriouseats

[anothertorres]

take burnable items to her pile and play dumb with a huge smile on your face. just smother it with your own stuff, say thank you, many times over.

you won't fix the problem, but at least you'll get a laugh out of it...

[thequietman]

Good morning,

I am a very fat man. My suggestion to you is, if you dont like it go live some where else. I have to go now as my full english with extra lard is ready.

[krading]

Delete your post, You will be swamped with fat men telling you to leave the country if you can't deal with it.

Hey!! I resemble that remark

[WebBangkok]

The wifey's grandfather is 94 and burns plastic or anything everyday in our backyard.

We always tell him to not do it, the problem though he suffers from Alzheimer's, so he always forgets...

[happyrobert]

When will westerners learn that the only thing they can change here is a thousand baht note? And that usually takes minutes of rummaging through old cans and baskets.

Last week my girlfriend and I had a morning of free entertainment. The women next door, whose covered back porch faces my living room windows, has three washing machines on her porch and does laundry for the neighbors.

She had just finished a half dozen loads and had the wet clothes, towels and sheets, hanging about. She then feels it an appropriate juncture to do some "cleaning up." She takes a dump truck load (slight exaggeration) of old coconut husks and tosses them in the dirt "alley" that runs back, behind our houses, to rubber tree farms. Blocking the soi, she tosses on household garbage, including diapers and, yes, plastic, and sets it afire.

The prevailing wind is from the beach so the dense, putrid smoke is now slowly drifting across her porch, and, of course, her morning's labor. I close up, bring in the dogs, and turn on the air on an otherwise fresh and cool day.

I was astounded by this and although my GF and I spent the next two hours watching her and laughing, my GF insisted that the customers won't say a thing.

I have seen a restaurant owner tossing, yesthis is true 4' fluorescent glass tubes onto his fires.

An auto body shop (I use the term lightly here) on Koh Chang, regularly burns the composite bumpers that so often need changing here. Black, black smoke. Hours of it.

It is the way it's done. Never gonna change just because you put up posters (which, by the way, Thai won't read--and your neighbor will probably use to kindle her fire).

I'm no psychoanalyst (unlike some other members here) but my guess is Freud would label this anal behavior. I think they just feel better seeing something totally disappear before their very eyes, than seeing it hauled off in a garbage truck.

And besides, Global Warming is caused by America.

All this despite the fact that there are these yellow plastic cans for everyone, at no charge, for free three-times-per-week pickup.

I figure someday my neighbors will burn those, too.

Edited July 12, 2011 by happyrobert

[WebBangkok]

All this despite the fact that there are these yellow plastic cans for everyone, at no charge, for free three-times-per-week pickup.

I figure someday my neighbors will burn those, too.

I admit, when I was a kid, we used to go around burning the plastic bins and for sale signs

[Mirth]

OP, not to be sarcastic but how do you educate someone about dioxin when their number 1 and 2 goes back into the ground and they use that same water for bathing, washing clothes and sometimes drinking and cooking? Pissing against the wind if you want my honest opinion.

[h90]

It is terrible but I doubt the Dioxin unless it is PVC and I doubt there are PVC plastic bags around.

[Travel2003]

Delete your post, You will be swamped with fat men telling you to leave the country if you can't deal with it.

And we all are eagerly awaiting your suggestion.

After all you are the serious one, right?

[Latindancer]

Oops.....I forgot that Tuesday is Flippant Day on Thaivisa. Oh well, HappyRobert's post was entertaining......I got some vicarious satisfaction from reading about his neighbour.

Perhaps next time MY neighbour burns off, I'll just tie her up about 10 metres downwind, until her face turns green......

[jayjayjayjay]

Your going to have to wait for the said lady to die....

[Beetlejuice]

And do you really believe that by approaching the Ministry of Health and the police, or the army or the marines, is going to help break the habits practiced by generations of I couldn’t give a rat’s behind about you poor Thai peasant folk?

I wish you luck..

[canopy]

You are lucky. In my village burning plastic is a daily ritual among villagers getting rid of their garbage. So there isn't just an occasional plastic fire, but many such fires going every day with virtually everyone doing it. Burning plastic is also the defacto standard way to start their cooking fires. Another favorite is they like to poison their yards and fields, then burn all the dead stuff sending poison into the atmosphere. The smokiest though is when someone makes charcoal in their yard that smolders out thick smoke 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

I think a lot of people will find this state of affairs a shock compared to their home countries where if someone was stupid enough to do something like that the fire department would be called in within 5 minutes. I would not be surprised if all of this is just as illegal in Thailand and that calling the appropriate phone number would result in putting a stop to it. That's kind of the way it works here, as long as nobody cares which is the norm then things like this just go on.

[thequietman]

You are lucky. In my village burning plastic is a daily ritual among villagers getting rid of their garbage. So there isn't just an occasional plastic fire, but many such fires going every day with virtually everyone doing it. Burning plastic is also the defacto standard way to start their cooking fires. Another favorite is they like to poison their yards and fields, then burn all the dead stuff sending poison into the atmosphere. The smokiest though is when someone makes charcoal in their yard that smolders out thick smoke 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

I think a lot of people will find this state of affairs a shock compared to their home countries where if someone was stupid enough to do something like that the fire department would be called in within 5 minutes. I would not be surprised if all of this is just as illegal in Thailand and that calling the appropriate phone number would result in putting a stop to it. That's kind of the way it works here, as long as nobody cares which is the norm then things like this just go on.

you think thats bad. the local people here make chilli paste across the road from our house in the village meeting place. my wifes family donated them the ground. they reward my wifes family for this kind gesture by burning the husks of the chillies when they are finished obviously starting the fire with plastic bags. after that point you cant breathe with the fumes from the chillies. i asked the wife to explain to them that if they just dump the husks at the rear, they are sure to grow again saving them money on buying chillies. so for 2 weeks they stopped and then................................ starting burnin them again.

it is a definite fixation with rural thais to burn everything. they will burn dead grass even though it will just rot away alone. telling them it grows back faster when burned falls on deaf ears. they burn green leaves. the king told them not to burn the remains of their rice crops but just to plough it back into the ground. so.......they burn it. this year the death rate for older thai people dying in my village because of breathing difficulties dropped my 90 per cent. the weather has been erratic with lots of rain. great. what will they do next year if weather permits...burn,burn,burn. they were asked to pay 50 baht a year per family for twice weekly refuse collection, they voted against it and continued to burn their rubbish.

everyday i have to remind myself that this is the way it is here, dont fight it, swim with the tide. taking a deep breath and walking away is getting more and more difficult as i,m sure they know what they are doing is wrong but they choose to ignore the benefit of the many for the short term benefits of the few.

i still love it here but my o my , its hard work.

[thequietman]

you think thats bad. the local people here make chilli paste across the road from our house in the village meeting place. my wifes family donated them the ground. they reward my wifes family for this kind gesture by burning the husks of the chillies when they are finished obviously starting the fire with plastic bags. after that point you cant breathe with the fumes from the chillies. i asked the wife to explain to them that if they just dump the husks at the rear, they are sure to grow again saving them money on buying chillies. so for 2 weeks they stopped and then................................ starting burnin them again.

it is a definite fixation with rural thais to burn everything. they will burn dead grass even though it will just rot away alone. telling them it grows back faster when burned falls on deaf ears. they burn green leaves. the king told them not to burn the remains of their rice crops but just to plough it back into the ground. so.......they burn it. this year the death rate for older thai people dying in my village because of breathing difficulties dropped my 90 per cent. the weather has been erratic with lots of rain. great. what will they do next year if weather permits...burn,burn,burn. they were asked to pay 50 baht a year per family for twice weekly refuse collection, they voted against it and continued to burn their rubbish.

everyday i have to remind myself that this is the way it is here, dont fight it, swim with the tide. taking a deep breath and walking away is getting more and more difficult as i,m sure they know what they are doing is wrong but they choose to ignore the benefit of the many for the short term benefits of the few.

i still love it here but my o my , its hard work

You are lucky. In my village burning plastic is a daily ritual among villagers getting rid of their garbage. So there isn't just an occasional plastic fire, but many such fires going every day with virtually everyone doing it. Burning plastic is also the defacto standard way to start their cooking fires. Another favorite is they like to poison their yards and fields, then burn all the dead stuff sending poison into the atmosphere. The smokiest though is when someone makes charcoal in their yard that smolders out thick smoke 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

I think a lot of people will find this state of affairs a shock compared to their home countries where if someone was stupid enough to do something like that the fire department would be called in within 5 minutes. I would not be surprised if all of this is just as illegal in Thailand and that calling the appropriate phone number would result in putting a stop to it. That's kind of the way it works here, as long as nobody cares which is the norm then things like this just go on.

you think thats bad. the local people here make chilli paste across the road from our house in the village meeting place. my wifes family donated them the ground. they reward my wifes family for this kind gesture by burning the husks of the chillies when they are finished obviously starting the fire with plastic bags. after that point you cant breathe with the fumes from the chillies. i asked the wife to explain to them that if they just dump the husks at the rear, they are sure to grow again saving them money on buying chillies. so for 2 weeks they stopped and then................................ starting burnin them again.

it is a definite fixation with rural thais to burn everything. they will burn dead grass even though it will just rot away alone. telling them it grows back faster when burned falls on deaf ears. they burn green leaves. the king told them not to burn the remains of their rice crops but just to plough it back into the ground. so.......they burn it. this year the death rate for older thai people dying in my village because of breathing difficulties dropped my 90 per cent. the weather has been erratic with lots of rain. great. what will they do next year if weather permits...burn,burn,burn. they were asked to pay 50 baht a year per family for twice weekly refuse collection, they voted against it and continued to burn their rubbish.

everyday i have to remind myself that this is the way it is here, dont fight it, swim with the tide. taking a deep breath and walking away is getting more and more difficult as i,m sure they know what they are doing is wrong but they choose to ignore the benefit of the many for the short term benefits of the few.

i still love it here but my o my , its hard work.

[travelmann]

Until Thailand adopts a method of waste disposal where trucks come once a week to collect the rubbish the youll stop nothing, even then many will still burn it.

[norrona]

Forgive them Lord, for they not know what they do

[thaibeachlovers]

Until Thailand adopts a method of waste disposal where trucks come once a week to collect the rubbish the youll stop nothing, even then many will still burn it.

Hmm, in my wife's village in the sticks, that's just what happens.

Her mother used to make charcoal, and still have the shed with the drums out back. Luckily she's past ( I hope ) making it, so we shouldn't be subjected to that particular menace. However, despite myself bringing up a lovely double burner gas stove her mum insists on using the charcoal braziers to cook the meals on.

[seriouseats]

Forgive them Lord, for they not know what they do

They know what they are doing. They've been told by farangs, by the king and by the board of public health(in phuket you can even report them and they'll act as if they were going to act upon it)

They'Re just doing the american thing. You know, just doing it more often just so they are not doing what you told them to do.

[happyrobert]

Until Thailand adopts a method of waste disposal where trucks come once a week to collect the rubbish the youll stop nothing, even then many will still burn it.

POST # 7

All this despite the fact that there are these yellow plastic cans for everyone, at no charge, for free three-times-per-week pickup.

[norrona]

Forgive them Lord, for they not know what they do

They know what they are doing. They've been told by farangs, by the king and by the board of public health(in phuket you can even report them and they'll act as if they were going to act upon it)

They'Re just doing the american thing. You know, just doing it more often just so they are not doing what you told them to do.

been told by farangs

dead behind the eyes a lot of people

[David006]

what do you think happens to your bags and plastics you dump in your garbage...??

Maybe consider starting your own recycling plant? Hope you never use fossil fuel powered transportation either?

Where did she get the bags?? Probably thrown out of the window of a black Fortuner or Vigo smoking black exhaust "after burn" diesel from "foot to the floor" without changing down a cog on an incline??

[Richb2004v2]

You all must have the patience of saints. Well done.

[happyrobert]

You all must have the patience of saints. Well done.

Well, Khun Burnalot had the fire going again today.

8:12 am:

Strolled out with a bag full of plastic bags.

1. Did not think to drop the one big bag with the 30-40 smaller bags onto the fire.

NO.

2. Turned the big bag upside down, shook it madly, arm flailing about like pissed cobra.

3. Small bags fall out and into gust of wind. Bags blow into rubber trees, behind my house (my serene view) owned by neighbor. Neighbor not home.

4. K. Burnalot, apparently satisfied, strolls back into her house.

7 pm: All bags still on the ground in the rubber tree farm. Yellow, red, white.

I'm guessing burning is not about cleaning up. I'm guessing they don't care that garbage pickup is free. I'm guessing there is some sexual nature to this activity, as Freud contended. Laugh if you want. There is no other possible reason.

[Richb2004v2]

Life does not sound so great amongst the 'colorful' folk in the villages. Is it too late to get out?

[happyrobert]

Life does not sound so great amongst the 'colorful' folk in the villages. Is it too late to get out?

My mind is already gone.

Updates as they come in.

[Richb2004v2]

Life does not sound so great amongst the 'colorful' folk in the villages. Is it too late to get out?

My mind is already gone.

Updates as they come in.

My mind went a while ago too. Thankfully my body is soon to follow.

[Atmos]

my worst 'toxic air' exp was when we were living rural Sa Kaeo, on one of my cycling routes there was a recycling place.

Recycling you say? That must be 'good' . . .

Well it would be if not for the fact that they burn all the types of plastic unsuitable for recycling, as well as separate fires to burn the plastic coating off copper cables.

On a still day a huge plume of the blackest smoke, poison.