Free Eggs, Rice For Garbage: Thailand

[webfact]

Free eggs, rice for garbage

The Nation

The Pollution Control Department (PCD) is offering free eggs and rice to people who turn over used foam food boxes and empty plastic bottles - in a bid to ease the amount of garbage.

"Get one egg if you hand over 20 foam boxes. Get 2 kilos of uncooked rice if you come with 20 plastic bottles," Rangsan Pinthong said yesterday in his capacity as the chief of the PCD's Hazardous Waste Disposal Centre.

The scheme has attracted an enthusiastic response. A big crowd was seen waiting to turn garbage into food at a PCD booth in Don Muang yesterday.

"The exchange service will be available at PCD headquarters till November 30," Rangsan said.

He said the PCD had received a number of complaints about growing garbage piles in inundated areas. The problem is most serious in Bang Phlat.

"It's also a big problem in Bang Khae, Sai Mai, Don Muang and Phasi Charoen," Rangsan said.

Flooding has hit the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA)'s garbage-collection operations hard. As a result, flood victims have had to live with mountains of garbage in some areas.

The distribution of foam food boxes to flood victims has seen a serious increase in that type of garbage in recent weeks.

PCD deputy director-general Worasas Apaipong believed there would be three million tonnes of garbage to tackle once the flood water subsides.

Rangsan said that for now, his agency was handing out EM (effective micro-organism) liquid to ease the dangers to flood victims posed by |polluted flood water. But he said: "The liquid is effective. Clear results have been seen in Nakhon Sawan and Ayutthaya."

-- The Nation 2011-11-14

[sparebox2]

Gabage for food program. Great idea.

[jimbeam1]

At last something positive, at last.

jb1

[Chang_paarp]

Maybe the folk who get cash also participate in this project.

[scotto]

Something positive here lets hope it continues after the floods so the poor have something to eat and do a community

service at the same time great idea!!

I personally think that if Thais cared about their country it would be a much better place to live and cleaner wouldnt that be nice?

[TheWalkingMan]

Nice idea.

[puntmeister]

Good idea, BUT:

1) Why only give remuneration for used foam boxes and plastic bottles - why not structure it so there's remuneration for all types of trash (ie - some sort of payment per kilo of trash). Otherwise, you could litterally envision people picking through piles of trash, taking out the foam boxes and plastic bottles, leaving the rest of the trash to rot.

2) Why pay so much more for plastic bottles than for foam boxes?

One egg: 7 baht

2 Kilos of rice: 60 baht

[Payboy]

Just wondering how the eggs and rice are packaged.

[jehricaholic]

Finally.... a positive 'Miracle of Thailand'

[tonglen]

Nice idea. Hope it continues to be implemented.

[Soupdragon]

A positive move but hardly smart. What would have been smart would have to have seen the increase in certain types of garbage generated by giving the people the foam boxes and dealt with it before it became a problem. Sorry if that is too logical.

The distribution of foam food boxes to flood victims has seen a serious increase in that type of garbage in recent weeks.

[Thakkar]

Just wondering how the eggs and rice are packaged.

I had the same thought. I'm sure the scheme will morph into cash payment as that is far more practical than bartering.

Cash for Trash!

T

[weka]

Yeah it is a nice idea that hopefully works

but

part of me is saddened that it takes a reward for a society to perform a task that any 5 year old in NZ and Aus and many other countries would perform, and be able to explain the logic behind it...

I guess this universal lack of awareness got Thailand into this mess in the first place

[kutjebu]

20 foam boxes and you get 1 Leo.That's all what farangs understand.

[Mitker]

Gabage for food program. Great idea.

Within a consistent frame of actions, it can be a very positive approach.

It was one of the programs of the (then) new major of Curitiba in Brazil about 40 years ago. An architect with a genuine vision to improve the situation of his formerly empoverished city, he implemented various scheme leading to practical results while changing behaviors and urban environment. The city became soon an impressive model for the whole country.

While suggested if he would run for presidency, he declined and prefered to focus on his city instead.

A wise man without this desesperate hunger for power too often witnessed.

[sfbandung]

20 foam boxes and you get 1 Leo.That's all what farangs understand.

Eggs and rice. Pa! Leo? I'm out there!

[Backwoods]

20 foam boxes and you get 1 Leo.That's all what farangs understand.

You don't see lines of Farangs in free food lines! I live outside the city limits and see who buys the most beer, and they are not white skinned! Please keep to the subject, and try not to add to the list of remarks against the little bit of good to come out in a crisis! The only ones who complain about incentives are the one's to lazy to do something extra or exert themselves!