Littering trash and dumping garbage

[evadgib]

went to a national park a few months ago on a sunday[big mistake-very busy], i was litterally dumbfounded,people where just throwing plastic bottles and iced coffee cups and bags everywhere,my stepson threw a bottle in a bush,and i told him to pick it up,he looked amazed,when we got to an area that had a bin i showed him to put it in a bin,but it was in one ear out the other he goes around the house dropping bottles and wrappers anywhere around the outside i have given up saying anything,a few times a week i go round picking stuff up,and as you know Thai mothers sons can do no wrong in their eyes,because he has never been taught different,my wife does not litter at least not when she is with me,the thing is you get a big fine for littering in Australia though people do still do it,but i think generally less than here and yes there are more garbage bins. Possibly more action by government and local authorities,maybe ad campaigns on tv and education that it is bad for Thailand in school would improve the situation,i think basically it is something kon thai just do not think about,its like the litter is sort of invisible to them.

During a recent visit to UK my son (8) was amazed at the overall cleanliness of the sports field & recreational facilities & asked me to explain what all the colours (of skips/bins) meant. I duly explained the left-to-right 'full monty', inc recycled shoes, clothes, newspapers etc before continuing our walk along the Avon. All the bins along the river were cleaned,lined & emptied regularly but the two things that really impressed him were the emergency life rings every 100m that hadn't been abused or vandalised, and the 'letterbox' for dog owners to deposit 'Kee Mar!'. He initially thought I was joking when I explained what it was,but a short time later a couple with 2x lurchers a few meters in front of us gave a practical demonstration....

On the return journey he looked at the row of large metal enclosed bins & asked what the one on the end was for (Red).

I couldn't remember <I think it was wood chippings> so replied "That's for naughty boys who don't use any of the others!"

Sorted:)

Edited January 4, 2014 by evadgib

[John 1]

This is how Melbourne folks dispose of there rubbish

[ableguy]

if this is your only problem with. Thailand you are one lucky man.

[laobali]

I have two observations. One was a long while ago back in the UK when at a horse racing track with a friend in a union job, and I was looking for a bin to put my empty plastic 'glass' of beer, and he said "throw it on the floor. If you don't you're doing someone out of a job".

Another is the "broken windows" project, which in a nutshell is about if the people have an investment in the area then they take care of it, if they don't, then it's not their problem. I saw it in the property business in UK a couple of decades back when the council houses were offered for sale. Suddenly people took their neighborhood seriously. I haven't been back there in quite a few years, so can't comment on their current predicament.

I live in a rental in Thailand, but I still feel dismay when people throw rubbish away opposite their residence when the bins on either side of the street are no more than 30 seconds walk. I keep dreaming of cleaning up the street and fixing the potholes at my own expense, but then back off, thinking that there's still more that I don't understand about the mentality of my neighbours. They are cordial and good with me, and don't want to undermine that, or find out what the real truth of what they really think of 'that farang' in their street (I'm the only one in the street now, used to be about 50/50, but people die and things move on...).

It would be interesting if you did keep the area in front of your house and the neighbors clean. I wonder if they might join in. If you ever do try it let us know.

Don't know about the pot holes but the garbage might work out and then maybe fix the odd pot hole. would take time and patience. Defiantly be interesting.

Good mantra.

Definitely don't be boring!

[Opl]

What about smokers on the beach, digging their cigarette butts in the sand ?

Edited January 5, 2014 by Opl

[pokerspiv]

Littering is a symptom of poverty. You will find the same thing in every other poor country in the world.

Caring about the environment is something you do when you no longer have to worry about where your next meal is coming from. That is just economic reality.

Singapore, Hong Kong and Taiwan got cleaner when they got richer.

Edited January 5, 2014 by pokerspiv

[SOMeTOM]

But littering the road when there is a garbage bin in the vicinity is surely a problem of personality and social obligation of a person. And it is very saddening that we can't do anything about it.

Speak for yourself, wouldn't you?

I found a way that works and i am going to stick with it.

If instead to just complaint and wait that somebody else solves the problem for you (mommy, daddy ?) , or even worse joining those savages because it's a "cultural thing", people would instead actually do something about it , i am sure that by now we would live in a better world.......but

[laobali]

Littering is a symptom of poverty. You will find the same thing in every other poor country in the world.

Caring about the environment is something you do when you no longer have to worry about where your next meal is coming from. That is just economic reality.

Singapore, Hong Kong and Taiwan got cleaner when they got richer.

1. And they are all relatively small. But how many foreigners living in Thailand would want to move there for that reason alone?

2. ... the [Thai] Government could send a delegation to Australia to learn about the "Clean up Australia Campaign" which was introduced some years ago with great success.

Get real. As if they would even consider learning anything from another country!!

3. Today's littering is a symptom of the amount of products and consumables bought wrapped in foil, foam, plastic, glass and cardboard which cannot be disposed of easily, especially in third world countries. Even a UK home - with its regular collection services of refuse and recyclables in different coloured bins - battles with the rubbish buildup every week. It gets worse rather than better, the only solution being the householder paying more to Councils. And they complain like hell about that!

[AngThong]

3. Today's littering is a symptom of the amount of products and consumables bought wrapped in foil, foam, plastic, glass and cardboard which cannot be disposed of easily, especially in third world countries. Even a UK home - with its regular collection services of refuse and recyclables in different coloured bins - battles with the rubbish buildup every week. It gets worse rather than better, the only solution being the householder paying more to Councils. And they complain like hell about that!

...another solution... don't buy stuff. You'd be amazed at how your own, your neighbourhood's and the world's problems would solve themselves.

(Wrong species, I know. Sigh.)

[Briggsy]

Littering is a symptom of poverty. You will find the same thing in every other poor country in the world.

Caring about the environment is something you do when you no longer have to worry about where your next meal is coming from. That is just economic reality.

Singapore, Hong Kong and Taiwan got cleaner when they got richer.

Other way round, I believe.

Littering is a sign of laziness and lack of self-discipline. Lazy and indisciplined people and populations are far more likely to make decisions and take actions that lead to lower income outcomes.

No-one in Thailand is worrying about where their next meal is coming from but they may well be hoping somebody else will pay for it or cook it for them so they can slope back to the hammock.

[bangon04]

I have two observations. One was a long while ago back in the UK when at a horse racing track with a friend in a union job, and I was looking for a bin to put my empty plastic 'glass' of beer, and he said "throw it on the floor. If you don't you're doing someone out of a job".

Another is the "broken windows" project, which in a nutshell is about if the people have an investment in the area then they take care of it, if they don't, then it's not their problem. I saw it in the property business in UK a couple of decades back when the council houses were offered for sale. Suddenly people took their neighborhood seriously. I haven't been back there in quite a few years, so can't comment on their current predicament.

I live in a rental in Thailand, but I still feel dismay when people throw rubbish away opposite their residence when the bins on either side of the street are no more than 30 seconds walk. I keep dreaming of cleaning up the street and fixing the potholes at my own expense, but then back off, thinking that there's still more that I don't understand about the mentality of my neighbours. They are cordial and good with me, and don't want to undermine that, or find out what the real truth of what they really think of 'that farang' in their street (I'm the only one in the street now, used to be about 50/50, but people die and things move on...).

It would be interesting if you did keep the area in front of your house and the neighbors clean. I wonder if they might join in. If you ever do try it let us know.

Don't know about the pot holes but the garbage might work out and then maybe fix the odd pot hole. would take time and patience. Defiantly be interesting.

Tried this once in the small area around the house and the canal. They were happy to join in, as long as the rich farang would pay them....

[bangon04]

What about smokers on the beach, digging their cigarette butts in the sand ?

Only because they don't have a car window to throw them out of.

[EmptyHead]

We are an awful virus on planet Earth.