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EDITORIAL
Collective effort needed in a battle against plastic
The Nation

The no-bag policy should be just "temporary packaging" in itself

BANGKOK: -- Thailand is bidding to become a plastic-bag-free nation. As part of an agreement between traders and the government, on the 15th of each month, shoppers will not be given any plastic bags at supermarkets, convenience stores or large malls. The aim to encourage them to bring their own reusable bags.

The one-day moratorium represents a baby step on the road to the long-term sustainable management of waste in the country, but even so, the question is whether it can achieve its goal, or will the idea simply fall by the wayside, like so many previous efforts in this direction.

The Natural Resources and Environment Ministry convinced 15 major retailers to sign up for the no-plastic campaign the day after Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha declared improved waste management a national priority. In a trial run on August 15 the retail outlets stopped packing customers' shopping in plastic bags. Doubtless many shoppers were annoyed by the inconvenience, but plenty of others expressed their support by bringing their own bags.

Some retailers had undertaken their own "war on plastic" even before the government stepped in. Since 2008 the Central Group has been curbing its use of paper and plastic shopping bags, and managed to do so by 26.4 per cent in the first year. Last year Central shoppers took home 1.8 million fewer bags than the year before, a drop of about 11 per cent. Tesco Lotus has just celebrated the first anniversary of a pilot project at its Nawamin branch, where no plastic bags are available.

It seems that retail giants are happy to engage in this battle to cleanse the environment, considering it a win-win concept for all concerned. In doing so they reduce operating costs and at the same time earn a reputation for eco-friendliness.

But, until the majority of stores join the movement, the impact will remain limited. As long as the no-bag policy remains patchy, customers who prefer the convenience of having their good wrapped in plastic will patronise outlets where the service is offered.

Most of the early-bird retailers have incentives to gain customers' cooperation, thus helping to popularise the campaign. Too many shoppers, however, still feel "entitled" to their plastic bags at checkout, in contrast to European nations where consumers refuse to accept plastic bags when offered. The willingness and cooperation of shoppers are obviously the keys to this policy's success.

If every Thai shopper used just one less bag each day, it would add up to 24.46 million bags per year. At present, Thailand has to cope with 2.7 million tonnes of Styrofoam and plastic waste every year. Citizens must be made aware that this mountain is costing them more and more in taxes to manage. Most significantly, the burgeoning plastic detritus is threatening critical ecological problems.

One way of addressing the problem would be to embrace a longer-term ethos of sustainable living. The "no-plastic" policy should be more than "temporary packaging", so to speak. We need concrete actions, strong political will and collective awareness if we're to safeguard the environment for the future. Only then can this baby step grow into a mature responsibility.

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/opinion/Collective-effort-needed-in-a-battle-against-plast-30267427.html


-- The Nation 2015-08-26

[dahinni]

this action should get on the way years ago, that is about time

Edited August 25, 2015 by dahinni

[canuckamuck]

This will continue until stores see how many people avoid shopping on the 15th.

[MrBrad]

[bim]

We all need to look at the bigger picture. Its not just plastic bags but the excessive packaging the is used here and elsewhere. As an example to have a bag of peanuts or crisps which contain little in the way of product in a bag that can fit 10 times more product is frankly just stupid. Why is not more pressure put on manufactures to produce less packaging. Banning plastic bags for one day of the month will have little effect. Bring in a charge for all bags and see how many here will reuse them. Some near me wont even spend 20 bht a month on garbage collection and would rather burn it. Money talks.

[canopus1969]

Thailand is bidding to become a plastic-bag-free nation

[soalbundy]

i'll stamp my feet and scream and scream, i'll hold my breath till my face is all red.......what ? oh, it still wont work.

[chilli42]

It is so easy to fix. Why do they make it such a big drama? All it needs are the regulations be put in place and it will fall into place ... retailers hate the bags, producers will live with the bottle deposit, manufacturers will find the lower cost recycled plastic useful and it will spawn a new industry.

[maderaroja]

Plastic bags can be recycled into fuel, plastic "board", and many other things. All they need to do is make them valuable as a recycle item.

[Emster23]

I would hardly call one day a month without plastic bags some sort of "battle". More like a few random shots at a border outpost. "Bid to become plastic bag free nation"? Like bidding $20 for a new Porsche.

"Too many shoppers, however, still feel "entitled" to their plastic bags at checkout, in contrast to European nations where consumers refuse to accept plastic bags" Also entitled to drop them anywhere, even if by oversight might be a bin nearby. "We have met the enemy, and they is us"

[hawker9000]

"Collective effort needed in a battle against plastic"

...so you might as well just stick a fork in it.

[Ulic]

Only half the issue in my opinion. The government should launch a major multi year campaign

to both severely curb the use of plastic bags and also dispose of garbage properly. Not just

throw it on the ground or into ditches and klongs.

[DrTuner]

So give the shoppers a free hemp bag on the 15th with instructions. Or are they supposed to consume the goods right after paying for them?

[Thai at Heart]

Start publishing which retailers use the most bags and measure their average amount of packaging per standard basket of food.

Ban Styrofoam completely. Chemical business won't like that though.....

[trainman34014]

Just been to Tesco's today, normal amount of shopping for around 1,000 Baht and came home with 12 bags. If the girl had had her way it would have been 15 but i insisted she put some things together. They want to give you a separate bag for a pair of socks and another for a sealed bag of dried dog food. No brains...just bags . If this is what 'Management ' tell them to do then their heads are emptier than a Eunuch's underpants !

[phoenixdoglover]

For everyone who thinks that plastic bags are bad, here's a different take:

http://www.wweek.com/portland/article-20963-hotseat_david_tyler.html

The O.P. above says the problem is " long-term sustainable management of waste in the country".

If this is the problem (and I believe it is), than a focus on plastic bags is virtually useless, and a feel-good distraction from much bigger components of solid waste management.

I'm sure one of the main problems is the volume of waste material. According to US EPA, source reduction is a primary strategy for dealing with that, including:

• reduced material use in product manufacture
• increased useful life of a product through durability and repairability
• decreased toxicity
• material reuse
• reduced/more efficient consumer use of materials
• increased production efficiency resulting in less production waste.

Only one of these items is about consumer behaviors. The rest deal with industry.

Edited August 26, 2015 by phoenixdoglover

[hawker9000]

For everyone who thinks that plastic bags are bad, here's a different take:

http://www.wweek.com/portland/article-20963-hotseat_david_tyler.html

The O.P. above says the problem is " long-term sustainable management of waste in the country".

If this is the problem (and I believe it is), than a focus on plastic bags is virtually useless, and a feel-good distraction from much bigger components of solid waste management.

I'm sure one of the main problems is the volume of waste material. According to US EPA, source reduction is a primary strategy for dealing with that, including:

• reduced material use in product manufacture
• increased useful life of a product through durability and repairability
• decreased toxicity
• material reuse
• reduced/more efficient consumer use of materials
• increased production efficiency resulting in less production waste.

Only one of these items is about consumer behaviors. The rest deal with industry.

...an informative article. Everyone should read. (Maybe not if you're a beer-drinker who thinks he's environmentally-minded...)

The problem with plastic bags in Thailand, India, and some other countries is their litter proneness. This is down to consumers and their litter awareness, and not the bag itself, but consumers in these countries apparently cannot and will not be educated. So, either find some way that works to incentivize appropriate disposal (or disincentivize inappropriate depending on whether you're the carrot or stick type), or simply take them away.