PM asks Thais to stop using plastic bags every 15th day of the month

[Lite Beer]

PM asks Thais to stop using plastic bags every 15th day of the month

BANGKOK: -- Prime Minister Prayut Chan-ocha has urged members of the public to stop using plastic bags every 15th day of the month starting this Saturday in order to protect the environment.

In his weekly “Returning Happinesss to the Thai People” programme on Friday night, the prime minister said that the amount of plastic garbage would be 70 million plastic bags less per day if every Thai stops using just one plastic bag a day.

The current government places great importance in sustainable development and is environment friendly and, therefore, has designated garbage disposal as a national agenda under 3R principle which is reduce, reuse and recycle, said the prime minister.

Beginning this Saturday, the government in cooperation with the private sector which include operators of department stores, malls and convenience stores will urge members of the public to bring their own bags to carry the goods they bought instead of asking plastic bags, said the prime minister.

He further said that it would be much better if the people could stop using plastic bags more than one day within a month or every day.

Source: http://englishnews.thaipbs.or.th/pm-asks-thais-to-stop-using-plastic-bags-every-15th-day-of-the-month

-- Thai PBS 2015-08-14

[ezzra]

Here's again, micro managing the life of Thai people to the smallest details.... like any one

is going to listen to this advise, if they do, like it's going to make any different to the ocean

of plastic begs being used every day.. to really help to solve this issue, people's minds

have to be changed and re educated and viable alternatives put in place, to come with

a ' asking Thais ' to stop using plastic begs akin to voice in the wilderness....

[cooked]

You get plastic bags whether you want them or not. I had T-shirts printed, 'I don't like plastic'. It was still a struggle, I have more or less given up now and use them for collecting rubbish. Taking a boat to the islands should be enough education for anybody, plastic floating everywhere.

Where are the publicity campaigns telling patrioticThais what they are doing to their country? Same place as the road safety campaigns I guess.

[cmrichsw]

Suggestions are good but offer the alternitives as well. What exactly is suggestion to do if plastic bags are not used? This is a place to educate the public and offer suggestions. How can the public shop without plastic? Recycle bags is 1 way and??

[johna]

This mornings BP said if there is enough public interest in this the government would consider giving away tote bags, (let them buy their own tote bags) why they don't announce that from say January 1st 2016 plastic bags will be banned from all supermarkets and convenience stores, and make that ban nation wide say 6 months later.

This would have an immediate positive and visable impact on Thailand's environment.

[meatboy]

tell it to the food vendors PM and they will tell you where to put them.

[willyumiii]

Thailand is "requesting " people not use plastic bags for 12 days per year.

In the west many places have banned by law the use of plastic bags 365 days per year.

Nice try Thailand.

Ban plastic bags in Thailand.

Employ thousands growing trees for pulp, harvesting them and operating pulp mills to produce biodegradable paper bags.

Good for the people, the economy, and the environment.

The only down side is that paper bags do not make good "rain hats"

[Lite Beer]

PM urges public participation in waste management campaign

BANGKOK, 15 August 2015 (NNT) – Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha has urged the public to reduce use of plastic bags and Styrofoam as the government declared waste management a national agenda.

According to Gen Prayut, the campaign is aimed at promoting sustainable waste management. Fifteen shopping centers and convenience stores are participating in the program which starts today.

Shoppers will be asked to prepare cloth bags instead of using plastic bags on the 15th day of each month. The premier added that it would be even better if the public can refrain from using plastic bags or Styrofoam containers everyday.

Retailers joining the campaign include Seven Eleven, Central, The Mall, Food Land, Makro, B2S, Robinson, Big C, Tesco Lotus and Rangsit Plaza.

-- NNT 2015-08-15

[SoilSpoil]

Why do Thai authorities have the unrivaled gift to make things difficult. Either you have plastic bags or not. In Northern India its impossible to get a plastic bag. People use jute bags, strong and environmentally more friendly.

[Thailand]

Simply the daft proclamation of the day!

[retell]

http://countrymeters.info/en/Thailand

68 million thais where does the 70 million come from////??

[impulse]

Good start. It's a complex problem and there won't be simple or quick solutions.

Here's a measured, incremental step to try something, hedging the possibility that there may be unintended consequences.

But since it's a Thai step, it's greeted here on TVF with disdain and ridicule.

What they're going to eventually find out is that it's not about the bags. It's about the entire consumer product life cycle, packaging, attitudes about litter, and waste disposal. But they've got to eat the elephant one bite at a time.

Edited August 15, 2015 by impulse

[mikemac]

Thailand is "requesting " people not use plastic bags for 12 days per year.

In the west many places have banned by law the use of plastic bags 365 days per year.

Nice try Thailand.

Ban plastic bags in Thailand.

Employ thousands growing trees for pulp, harvesting them and operating pulp mills to produce biodegradable paper bags.

Good for the people, the economy, and the environment.

The only down side is that paper bags do not make good "rain hats"

^ Good post.

In many outlets in Australia there are no plastic bags, and they sell enviro-friendly bags at the checkout for people who don't bring their own.

I ended up with hundreds of them in my kitchen pantry, gave them all to a charity shop that sells clothes etc.

It could open up a huge market for the villages that weave cotton, making shopping bags.

If they stopped handing them out for free the people would have to stop using them. Or charge 100 baht each for them !

Edited August 15, 2015 by mikemac

[metisdead]

A troll post with North Korea comparisons has been removed.

[luk AJ]

I use the plastic bags from the supermarket as garbage bags. If these are not abailable anymore, I will need to buy garbage bags. What's the difference?

[Cloggie]

Just say "mai sai tung krap" - yes, it's that easy, it's that easy!

When I go to Tesco Lotus big things like rice, toilet paper, muesli etc I don't need a bag.

Maybe just open counters with and WITHOUT bags....

[tubby johnson]

I buy a can of San Miguel at the local minimart and they give me a little plastic bag and a plastic straw. Brainless.

[jaywalker]

Just say "mai sai tung krap" - yes, it's that easy, it's that easy!

When I go to Tesco Lotus big things like rice, toilet paper, muesli etc I don't need a bag.

Maybe just open counters with and WITHOUT bags....

The PM should incorporate "Mai Sai Tung Khrap" into the national anthem.

If I buy my daughter a tiny pack of chewing gum it comes in a plastic bag. Buy her an ice cream...plastic bag.

I believe in paper bags, if indeed a bag is needed at all. At least they degrade.

I was at my in-laws' place in Surin once in January, when everything was dry & dead, and there were plastic bags & garbage EVERYWHERE!

I told my wife I'd be happy to give her Dad 5,000 baht to hire a crew to clean up the neighborhood.

She told me that might hurt his feelings....cause him to 'lose face', so nothing was done.

[impulse]

I buy a can of San Miguel at the local minimart and they give me a little plastic bag and a plastic straw. Brainless.

Knowing that's going to happen, I decline both the bag and the straw. It's really not that hard...

[jonclark]

How about just charging 3 baht per bag at any supermarket etc. Considering that they always double bag most stuff that runs in at about 15 bags per shop or a saving of around 1/6 of minimum daily wage. I'm sure that would bring about change in a large part of society. Especially the poor who do sadly make up by far the biggest segment of society.

Whilst the sentiments behind the PMs idea are very much well intentioned I think expecting people to actually remember that on the 15th of each month the need to refuse plastic bags, given the hurly-burly of daily life is a bit well, short sighted and naive.

[CiaranO]

Dear pm - please stop with this foolishness. How's fighting corruption going? From my knowledge the police force and land departments are as corrupt as ever. What are you going about this ? Plastic bags. Grow up.

[craigt3365]

I use the plastic bags from the supermarket as garbage bags. If these are not abailable anymore, I will need to buy garbage bags. What's the difference?

I do the same, but the ones from the stores normally have holes, so not good for under the sink. Plus, they aren't that large. My garbage can can hold a larger plastic bag and thus don't have to change it out every day. But you're right, kinda swapping one for another. Unfortunately, many don't do this and the bags end up on the streets.

I'm just back from 5 weeks in Europe. If you want a plastic bag, you either bring your own or buy one there. I got into the habit of keeping one in my backpack at all times. And reused it many times. Just like the locals do.

Easy to stop using plastic bags. Just create a law. Oh...forgot about the enforcement...LOL

[mikemac]

I buy a can of San Miguel at the local minimart and they give me a little plastic bag and a plastic straw. Brainless.

No, it is brainless to not say that you don't want a plastic bag. As soon as I see them going for the bag I say "Mai ow krap", then they give you a funny look and you smile at them and leave, with beer but sans plastic bag.

[JAG]

http://countrymeters.info/en/Thailand

68 million thais where does the 70 million come from////??

Perhaps one or two of them go shopping twice a day?

[Bakseeda]

another great initiative! how about ban teenage sex every 3rd week? would cut down a lot of unwanted pregnancies.

I hate these 'sound bite policies' why not come up with a REAL strategy? these sound bites are almost 'populist' Heaven Forbid!!!

No ,No, Please do NOT ban teenage sex..... My daughters might Never go out..!

[impulse]

I do the same, but the ones from the stores normally have holes, so not good for under the sink. Plus, they aren't that large. My garbage can can hold a larger plastic bag and thus don't have to change it out every day. But you're right, kinda swapping one for another. Unfortunately, many don't do this and the bags end up on the streets.

I used to purchase the big garbage bags, but here in Thaiand, trash starts stinking so quickly that I have gone to re-using my grocery bags to "remind" me to take them down to the trash bin more often.

I still use the big bags for big trash like the boxes that appliances come in, but the smaller re-used bags are much handier. And no trash basket needed- they hang on the pantry door knob.

[starky]

But it's not just the plastic bags for shopping. What about the millions of plastic bags that they put drinks and fruit and food and the condiments in? What's the solution there? The only other option I have seen is polystyrene and that is just as bad. It's not a bad proposal and a small step in the right direction IF everyone were to take it on board, unfortunately like most problems in Thailand it will take concerted effort and generations before you see any real change. On the upside ya gotta start somewhere

[impulse]

Dear pm - please stop with this foolishness. How's fighting corruption going? From my knowledge the police force and land departments are as corrupt as ever. What are you going about this ? Plastic bags. Grow up.

So you don't figure that quality of life would improve, along with tourist spending if the place presented a little cleaner?

The fact that governments around the entire world have dealt with the issue of paper vs plastic vs cloth bags indicates that it is a serious topic, and hardly "foolishness".

[baboon]

Dear pm - please stop with this foolishness. How's fighting corruption going? From my knowledge the police force and land departments are as corrupt as ever. What are you going about this ? Plastic bags. Grow up.

So you don't figure that quality of life would improve, along with tourist spending if the place presented a little cleaner?

The fact that governments around the entire world have dealt with the issue of paper vs plastic vs cloth bags indicates that it is a serious topic, and hardly "foolishness".

I think CiaranO's gripe is less about plastic bags than Prayudh's feeling the need to bestow his wisdom on every topic under the sun. Less can be more and all that..

[cooked]

Suggestions are good but offer the alternitives as well. What exactly is suggestion to do if plastic bags are not used? This is a place to educate the public and offer suggestions. How can the public shop without plastic? Recycle bags is 1 way and??

Pardon? Have a good look when you check out at BigC or Makro. Plenty if nice bags around