Hey Thailand - One SIMPLE Way To Handle Recycle Stuff - Hawaii Way!

[MauiSteveBKK]

Hey Thailand ....

Look Around The Globe. There are simple ways to handle recyclable materials.

"The Hawaii Way".

On Maui, we have "Recycle Centers" centrally located, easy to find, and many of them. They are an easy walk from almost anywhere.

Each day, I see many homeless people and other locals going through trash cans, trash bins, etc.

They get 5 cents per coke can, soda bottle, beer bottle, plastic milk container.

Hawaii has over 90% recycle rate.

When you buy a bottle of beer, you pay an extra 5 cents.

When I take my bag of bottles, cans, and plastics to the Recycle Center -- I normally get about $10.00

+ It's a source of money for the Homeless. Put a coke can in a trash container -- within 30 minutes, someone will get it.

+ People don't "throw away" money.

+ My Condo complex has a place to leave recyclables for the homeless and others to get and cash in.

Simple. Highly Effective.

Charge 5 cents extra. When cashed in, you get 5 cents back - CASH.

{BTW -- many youth make "extra" money by collecting recyclable. It's easy money.}

THE KEY: Make the Recycle Centers easy to find and get to 7 days a week!!

Problem Solved.

[HeijoshinCool]

This was done in Rhek Thum. Some poor, barefoot old guy who never wore anything more than a soiled pair of shorts, wrapped his elbows around a metal bar, leaned forward, and pulled a cart as big as a '55 Buick. Varicose veins stood out like lines of earthworms.

The cart was full of all kinds of junk, but mostly cardboard and bottles and cans.

He kept the town pretty clean.

I've never seen anything like it anywhere else in Thailand, though. Have no idea where he took it all.

[casualbiker]

They have reclaim yards all over. Thais know where they are!

[Brit_Doggie]

They have reclaim yards all over. Thais know where they are!

Spot on my friend the thais know,as can be seen daily collection of recyclable material from my complex bins and stored in 26 msq room to await the monthly visit of the recycle truck,then off to walking street to blow it all hmm maybe i should get to know some of em for a free binge hehe.

Edited March 10, 2015 by Brit_Doggie

[questionsreplies]

You are a genius, luckily you are here now ♥

[SantiSuk]

Unfortunately plastic bags are worthless - has to be stopped at the supply end. Ideally shops should be forced to charge for them, but won't ever happen in a third world country where environment is understandably low on the agenda.

Agree with others. Recycling of stuff like glass, plastic, tins and cardboard works well. We have big plastic boxes at home and the recycling man is called up every couple of months to take away (get about 150 baht typically but makes me feel like a solid citizen!). Most villagers here in Isaan do similar albeit usually with unsightly cheaper plastic bags littering the back yard. i see bin scavengers all the time in the amphur meuangs and larger villages that have refuse collection

The problem is the non-recyclables - hence many villages not on refuse collection seem to have a horrible smelly tip on its fringe. What's needed is a regulation that requires every Amphur to have a proper landfill tip that can take public waste of non-recyclables. Again - will not happen (and I baulk at writing "what is needed is a regulation ...." )