Ban the Bag.

[Nautilus05]

heh, I had all my neighbors confused for a little bit there, as I began packing a small duffel bag with me when I went to the local stores. I already have about 2000 plastic bags sitting here, so when I go to pickup the standard stuff (water, pop, beer, soap, etc.) I just take my duffel bag with me now. Had everyone quite confused for a bit there.

[Ulysses G.]

Until OP succeed, I just go on using them

My attitude too. Bags come in handy, but I would be willing to switch from plastic to paper.

[Kitsune]

You separate you litter and recycle plastic paper and glass.That's 2/3 of your waste disappearing right there.

Obviously they have to be taken away to recycle places.

That's why if they ban plastic bags, they also have to start separating it when picking it up and deliver it to the right location (which is not done now)

The wet rest can be used to make excellent compost if you have a garden.

For those who don't have a private garden, there could be a collect point for each neighborhood for you to deposit your wet waste.

the garbage would attract everything from roaches to rats and everything in between

and theyre be more flies than africa if the garbage wasnt sealed in plastic bags

until somoene invents an equally convenient system of disposing waste i dont think its going to catch on

nobodys has time to go every 2 days to 3-4 differnt places to dispose of paper ,glass ,plastic and food waste

even if it only took 10 minutes to separate everything i still dont think thais in general would do it unless the penalty

for not doing it was massive and farangs account for so little here we kinda have to do things their way until they

decide to change it

if i go out now ,im near guaranteed to come home with 10 bags

sliced fruits x 3 transparent ones and 1 big white one containing the rest

tesco or 7-11 will give me another 3 when i buy 10 litres of water

any other things say another 1-2 white bags

if i buy curry i get one for the food and one for the sticky rice and a white carry all for both

order a pizza and wings and it comes in a box ,then a massive bag

stop for an ice coffee and it has a plastic bag style handle but the cup is made of wax coated carboard??

ive even used them as ropes to tie things to the motorbike

i personally get given a high number of bags per day

does it all end in a landfill site ? is it even feasible to melt ti down and make new bags ? who knows ?

i just know everything comes in a bag .....

Compost stations are a reality and they dont smell

They cover the pile with other plants it does not smell at all, obviously it has to be managed, but you would get much less waste in the truck so can use extra staff to look after the compost

And the neighborhood has free compost

You're right people are just getting more and more lazy.

Just learn to say 'mai sai tung"

yes you can turn them into something else but again that requires technology, discipline and dedication to bring them all back to the recycling point.

The best recyclable item is the one you don't use !

Remember bags don't remain at the landsite they end up in the sea

The Digital Journal reported last year that the North Atlantic Ocean has several areas streaming with plastic junk, the waste products of modern life. So extensive is plastic waste that plastic has become the main form of ocean debris, causing serious concerns about its impact on the health of ocean communities.

Read more: http://digitaljournal.com/news/environment/plastic-pollution-of-oceans-is-a-growing-menace/article/373240#ixzz2uoivyfTH

[Kitsune]

Paper is a renewable resource.

Small, young , fast growing trees can be used to make pulp for paper.

Old growth forests are not needed to produce paper.

It could develop into a good business in Thailand.

Growing pulp producing trees between rice fields like they do with the Eucalyptus they grow and harvest every few years to make poles would work.

The pulp mills would employ many people as well.

If a Thai businessman or government employee could be convinced it was his idea, it could be done profitably here...after the ban on plastic!

Good "on paper" if you allow me the pun, but the principle to convert ALL the plastic bag into paper would mean destroying an awful lot of natural forest to get the actual space. Really not a good idea in practice

[NeverSure]

Please look at these pictures. They are poplar trees being grown on marginal farmland. It takes just 12 years to grow them for harvest, so they are definitely renewable, and also good for the atmosphere as they produce oxygen.

At my favorite big grocery store in the US, they don't offer plastic. They will give you paper bags, or sell you heavy, strong cloth bags with strong handles for a very low price. After that if you use the cloth bags they give a discount. Cloth is made from renewable cotton. Both cotton and paper can be recycled, too.

Poplar tree farm

[StreetCowboy]

...but theyre so convenient to put the garbage in and leave it outside ........

re-useing bags would be more hassle

id have to carry them back to the 7-11 ,they staff would think im crazy

and id still have the same problem of nothing to put my garbage in like

half eaten food that needs to be sealed or it stinks etc ....

You separate you litter and recycle plastic paper and glass.That's 2/3 of your waste disappearing right there.

Obviously they have to be taken away to recycle places.

That's why if they ban plastic bags, they also have to start separating it when picking it up and deliver it to the right location (which is not done now)

The wet rest can be used to make excellent compost if you have a garden.

For those who don't have a private garden, there could be a collect point for each neighborhood for you to deposit your wet waste.

the garbage would attract everything from roaches to rats and everything in between

and theyre be more flies than africa if the garbage wasnt sealed in plastic bags

until somoene invents an equally convenient system of disposing waste i dont think its going to catch on

nobodys has time to go every 2 days to 3-4 differnt places to dispose of paper ,glass ,plastic and food waste

even if it only took 10 minutes to separate everything i still dont think thais in general would do it unless the penalty

for not doing it was massive and farangs account for so little here we kinda have to do things their way until they

decide to change it

if i go out now ,im near guaranteed to come home with 10 bags

sliced fruits x 3 transparent ones and 1 big white one containing the rest

tesco or 7-11 will give me another 3 when i buy 10 litres of water

any other things say another 1-2 white bags

if i buy curry i get one for the food and one for the sticky rice and a white carry all for both

order a pizza and wings and it comes in a box ,then a massive bag

stop for an ice coffee and it has a plastic bag style handle but the cup is made of wax coated carboard??

ive even used them as ropes to tie things to the motorbike

i personally get given a high number of bags per day

does it all end in a landfill site ? is it even feasible to melt ti down and make new bags ? who knows ?

i just know everything comes in a bag .....

In Tai Pei the bin lorries come round six nights a week; on alternate days they collect for re-cycling paper, cardboard and packaging, and on the other days, plastic and glass bottles and cans. Every day they collect compost and pigswill, and taxed landfill bags.

Stores are obliged to charge for plastic bags.

If I was just going down to seven-eleven, I'd take a bag with me.

It can be done, if there is a will

SC

[manarak]

banning bags is one of the dumbest things.

much more clever is to give a value to bags.

every customer gets a plastic bag for 10 baht, and any person bringing a bag back gets 10 baht.

solved.

[bendejo]

Im calling the government to ban morons who call the government to complain about plastic bag banning without thinking of an alternative.

Any morons will tell you this:

I find that reusable bags are so much easier to manage, and I don’t have to deal with as much clutter as I normally do with plastic or paper bags. Reusable shopping bags can even be washed. They’re also sturdy and can withstand more weight than a normal shopping bag can.

...if you have the bag with you when you need it.

So OP doesn't believe in paying taxes, but when he has a problem he calls the gov't. Sounds like a Tea Party type.

[Kitsune]

banning bags is one of the dumbest things.

much more clever is to give a value to bags.

every customer gets a plastic bag for 10 baht, and any person bringing a bag back gets 10 baht.

solved.

It would not change much IMO.

At 10B only poor people would make an effort to bring their own, rich would carry on as normal.

Plus you cannot be behind every shop to check if they do charge 10B for it.

[wym]

yes this problem is EXACTLY what it takes government intervention to solve, the free market has no qualms about burying us in plastic waste and all the other horrors that are accelerating our making mother Earth unfit for future generations of human life

having a 10 baht - even 5 would probably be enough here - deposit/reward would certainly put private enterprise to work, only require government services to enforce those illegally gaming the system

and would of course then be self-funding

and pay for the composting stations - which certainly don't need to breed flies when done properly

and I'm sure bamboo and other indigenous waste scraps could be used to make rough paper sacks rather than having to use trees

[chrisinth]

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Im calling the government to ban morons who call the government to complain about plastic bag banning without thinking of an alternative.

Any morons will tell you this:


I find that reusable bags are so much easier to manage, and I don’t have to deal with as much clutter as I normally do with plastic or paper bags. Reusable shopping bags can even be washed. They’re also sturdy and can withstand more weight than a normal shopping bag can.

Good luck carrying your som tam back home in the evenings......................

[manarak]

banning bags is one of the dumbest things.

much more clever is to give a value to bags.

every customer gets a plastic bag for 10 baht, and any person bringing a bag back gets 10 baht.

solved.

It would not change much IMO.

At 10B only poor people would make an effort to bring their own, rich would carry on as normal.

Plus you cannot be behind every shop to check if they do charge 10B for it.

it's irrelevant if the shops charge for it or not - it must just be compulsory that any plastic bags free or not should carry an official emblem so that everyone bringing back such a bag regardless of its condition can claim 10 baht.

the main thing is getting the things out of the environment, right?

it doesn't matter who cleans up, the incentive for poor people to pickup the bags and bring them back is motivation enough and will keep the landfills free of bags because the trash would be sorted/filtered for bags first.

Edited March 3, 2014 by manarak

[hanno]

Just tax the bloody things. And of course there are alternatives, it is not like plastic bags have been around for 2,000 years.

I banned plastic bags in a hotel I worked in in Vietnam. At first the suppliers told me that they would be unable to deliver supplies. When I told them that I would look for other suppliers they suddenly did come up with alternatives (baskets, tupper ware, etc.).

Edited March 3, 2014 by hanno

[Seastallion]

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Yes, ban the plastic bag, cut down more trees to make paper bags! Re-useable cloth bags i here you say, what about the CO2 footprint? You need to wash cloth bags or risk cross contamination, food poisoning and death. Plenty of studies showing reusable bags have a bigger environmental impact.

The problem is one of education, certain cultures simply throw away, litter and burn; thats what needs to change.

I agree with you that education is a major factor. I am interested in your assertion that reusable bags have a bigger impact. Citation please.

[canman]

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Yes, ban the plastic bag, cut down more trees to make paper bags! Re-useable cloth bags i here you say, what about the CO2 footprint? You need to wash cloth bags or risk cross contamination, food poisoning and death. Plenty of studies showing reusable bags have a bigger environmental impact.

The problem is one of education, certain cultures simply throw away, litter and burn; thats what needs to change.

I agree with you that education is a major factor. I am interested in your assertion that reusable bags have a bigger impact. Citation please.

http://www.marketwatch.com/story/are-reusable-bags-worse-for-environment-than-plastic-2014-01-09

HDPE bags are, for each use, almost 200 times less damaging to the climate than cotton hold-alls favoured by environmentalists, and have less than one third of the Co2 emissions than paper bags which are given out by retailers such as Primark.

http://www.independent.co.uk/environment/green-living/plastic-fantastic-carrier-bags-not-ecovillains-after-all-2220129.html

As would be expected there are plenty of articles out there claiming exactly the opposite.

[Mario2008]

1 post containing flame removed.

[pineconehead]

You guys are all late to the party:

ps why can't I post links properly?

[speedtripler]

what about the polystyrene food boxes of cooked foods ? sure they must use millions of these per day as well as bags

and things like mcdonalds plastic cups dont deteoriate at all

i have one at home nd use it for drinking protein drinks ,definately not bio-degradeable

probably used / washd / reused it 50 times and its still in the same condition

there must be a few million of these between mcds and burger king and kfc alone never mind every stall that sells drinks ......

[NamKAheng]

It can be done for the chopping bags. In Canada the reduction of shopping bags was 52% in 2012 and more and more people are using reusable bags. My reusable bags are not made with cotton, they are made from recyclable soda bottle, they are washable and recyclable.

[nisakiman]

The plastic bags I get from my local supermarket are biodegradable. Even when they're indoors, in the dark, in six months they start turning to dust. I'm sure if my local Greek supermarket can do it, then so can all other supermarkets. And they are quite natural, being a petrochemical product, which is, after all, just dead trees. So they are probably more 'green' (God, how I hate that word, and the sanctimonious ideology it represents) than paper bags, being made from long dead trees rather than live ones.

[Skint]

I brought with me reusable bags from marks and spencer and Albert heijn the gf and family use them all the time handy for makro

[hanuman2543]

In Germany you have to pay for plastic bags or you bring your own as long as I can remember (longer than 40 years). When my Thai wife stayed in Ger she was able to use plastic bags several times . So charging for them makes sense.

Sent from my i-mobile IQ XA using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

[Hedghog]

I don't care.

Use as many as possible,not my problem.

Global warming,pollution,etc started long before I was born.

I just add to the end result.

[manarak]

In Germany you have to pay for plastic bags or you bring your own as long as I can remember (longer than 40 years). When my Thai wife stayed in Ger she was able to use plastic bags several times . So charging for them makes sense.

Sent from my i-mobile IQ XA using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

But it's a pain in the ass to always have to buy these bags.

And carrying always one around feels so whipped...

At least if they could take them back at the same price...

Edited March 7, 2014 by manarak