Recent anti-plastic bag campaign reduced 1.8 million bags in one day

[chrisrazz]

Drop in the ocean, literally!

For Thais, plastic bags are regarded the same as visiting the doctor and not leaving with a load of pills, in a plastic bag, of course.

Edited September 16, 2015 by chrisrazz

[jadee]

I'm always surprised that businesses in Thailand haven't started charging for plastic bags, it's odd which countries make you pay for plastic bags and which don't - even in China you have to pay for them, so is it government policy, public pressure or what? If the junta is serious about making changes, this would be a simple policy to implement and I can't see businesses complaining. I can see the average Thai person freaking out if such as move came about but that can't be the reason why bags are free.

[eliotness]

To quote a figure without saying what size is rather meaningless. Food stalls offer food in small bags but the likes of Tesco and 7/11 give big bags. The fact they came up with a quantity so quickly is weird to say the least. I have bought 3 reusable bags from Tesco and guess what ! they were all plastic, albeit strong plastic, but plastic nevertheless.

[emilymat]

I bought 2 re-usable bags in Big C Pattaya some 4 years ago. I've been using them ever since, but one of them is now wearing out. I ask at check-out 'Where are they in the store' Answer 'Finish". I think they cost me 15 baht each and, when I get to the car park I only have 2 bags to put in the boot.

I just don't know why anyone would want to have 15-20 plastic bags to load into the car.

Why would a cashier put a packet of fags in a plastic bag in 7-11. Happened to me yesterday and I gave it back to her.

My point is that it's a 'habit' by checkout staff and, as other posters have pointed out, it's a question of education of both public and shop staff. Even in Big C, when the girl knows I'm packing my re-usable bag, her hand goes automatically to put items in a plastic bag before she remembers.

After all, it's no real problem shopping at Makro on north road. You know when you go there you will need some bags to put your stuff in. Rant over - but it reminds of of the girl in W>H> Smith at Birmingham Airport who insisted she had my boarding card when I bought a daily newspaper!. We've since learned why they do that though.

[mikiea]

Where do they get these figures from? Absolutely no sign of any reduction in use in Khon Kaen yesterday. In fact, in Tesco Lotus, I, as usual, combined the contents of several plastic bags loaded by the checkout assistant, and returned the 3 unnecessary bags to her. She was quite miffed by this and put the returned bags under the counter!!!

In UK we pack our own bags and can return old bags to the store!

well.... la dee da da to you ......i hear da uk calling you .

[glasswort]

Big deal. If 1.8m bags were not used how many were? Probably tens or even hundreds of millions. !!!! When I mentioned the anti bag day to a check out girl In Big C Extra Pattaya all I received was a blank look. How about a cash incentive not to use plastic bags?

Just had a thought. Those caught drink driving could be set the task of checking plastic bag usage at a particular shop/supermarket for a month and note how the remainder of the month compares with the no bag day. As a matter of fact I would willingly volunteer to undertake this task myself.

[snowyy73]

In my humble opinion,Thailand&Thais needs to learn,how to handle garbage.

If you don't know,how to handle litter/garbage,then you'll never have a clean country.

Every day,i'm embarresed,i see the litter/garbage in the nature,everywhere in Thailand.

When i drive in my car,i can often see; one side of the road is nice clean,but the other side of the road looks like a junkyard.

And it's not only for 10-20 meters,it's much much longer distances,i'm talking about.Mostly everywhere.

When i have asked gf,how this is possible,she answered: It's because one side of the road is privat property and the other side of the road if public property.

If that's true(and i believe it is) then guvermenet have a serious big responsebillity of the problem.

In beginning,she did not believed me,but when i've showed her pictures/videos of streets and nature in my country,to make her understand how clean a country can be,her eyes had same size as footballs.She asked me: Are these real pictures???I answered: yes,but i think, it could be better

I come from a country,where we've been told in childhood and in school:KEEP THE NATURE CLEAN".It's in our backbones.

I've learned that the planet earth,is not a heritage from our parents,it's something we have borrowed from our children.

It's simply not enough,to reduce production and distribution of plasticbags,foam and so on.

1/ It's also a key factor,to learn people,to keep the nature clean and how to do it.

2/ Recyclingsystem/recyclingsites,is a key factor as well.IT'S VERY VERY IMPORTANT!!!

(Example: In my country,you have to pay 5-10thb for a plasticbag in a supermarket,that makes people remember to bring a bag or two,when they go shopping).

3/ Reducing the production of plastic and foam as well.

It's a combination of these 3 things.

Please keep in mind,that i only wish the best for Thailand.

About Making Thais understand,that they just can't throw litter/garbage on the ground and leave it there: WOW...that's a big one,coz many Thais,will feel they'll loose face,when you ask them,to clean up.

When i have workers,i always tell them before they begin: Clean up afterwards.I will simply pay them,before i'm satisfied.

Everytime i tell them that,they look on me,like i'm on drugs or from another planet.

When i explain to them,why i think like i do,few understand my way of thinking,but most of them are clearly annoyed/disappointed,that they need to do some work,without extra pay.

I remember a guy,who got very angry about it and i asked him politely and calm,if he was buddhist and he said yes.Then i roared into his face,that when he's borned again in 200-300 years from now,then he could see,what he had done,and to get the hell out of my property immidiately.

I often meet him,and when i do,i always smile.But he never smiles back.

But after all,he's the only person,that have been angry about it.

Yet i can see some huge challenges here.

Let's be honest:mountains of gargage,doesn't attrack more tourist,at least i don't think so.

That's just my own personally opinion :-)

The campain should be; 24/7

KEEP THE NATURE CLEAN,PLEASE!

And please tell you kids and friends,to keep the nature clean.

I wish you all a very good day

Viking.

.

Hi Mr Viking you obviously come from scandinavia which has sorted these problems out.but Thailand is not the only one the uk is still bad even though we do recycle.see the picture this is what i have to put up with most days.

[dannyman]

Well that's really great. If parents told their kids not to throw plastic bags out the window they might not do it themselves. In British Columbia

you had a choice at the grocery store to use your own bag, a brown paper bag or plastic bag. Hopefully people start refusing plastic bags and

use there own.

No, in British Columbia they charge 5 cents for a plastic bag.

[Maggusoil]

The Big C I go to now uses one bag per item. Maybe the extras went to my store .

This also seems to be the modus operandi of 7/11 shops nationwide. I usually feel disappointed if I leave with less than 2 bags for a few boiled sweets, e.g.

Right. A can of beer, sold with a complimentary plastic bag and, don't forget the plastic straw. More hygienic.

If only the the hygiene extended to nature.

It does make you wonder. I hand them back with a smile of course. They get it. Slowly.

However they are then faced with a Thai coming in and wondering why no plastic bag and straw.

So the shopkeeper says, "Do you need a plastic bag and straw?" and so we evolve.

They do ask the question now, in the corner store. It only took 7 years. Progress is progress.

[michaelgoulden]

In my humble opinion,Thailand&Thais needs to learn,how to handle garbage.

If you don't know,how to handle litter/garbage,then you'll never have a clean country.

Every day,i'm embarresed,i see the litter/garbage in the nature,everywhere in Thailand.

When i drive in my car,i can often see; one side of the road is nice clean,but the other side of the road looks like a junkyard.

And it's not only for 10-20 meters,it's much much longer distances,i'm talking about.Mostly everywhere.

When i have asked gf,how this is possible,she answered: It's because one side of the road is privat property and the other side of the road if public property.

If that's true(and i believe it is) then guvermenet have a serious big responsebillity of the problem.

In beginning,she did not believed me,but when i've showed her pictures/videos of streets and nature in my country,to make her understand how clean a country can be,her eyes had same size as footballs.She asked me: Are these real pictures???I answered: yes,but i think, it could be better

I come from a country,where we've been told in childhood and in school:KEEP THE NATURE CLEAN".It's in our backbones.

I've learned that the planet earth,is not a heritage from our parents,it's something we have borrowed from our children.

It's simply not enough,to reduce production and distribution of plasticbags,foam and so on.

1/ It's also a key factor,to learn people,to keep the nature clean and how to do it.

2/ Recyclingsystem/recyclingsites,is a key factor as well.IT'S VERY VERY IMPORTANT!!!

(Example: In my country,you have to pay 5-10thb for a plasticbag in a supermarket,that makes people remember to bring a bag or two,when they go shopping).

3/ Reducing the production of plastic and foam as well.

It's a combination of these 3 things.

Please keep in mind,that i only wish the best for Thailand.

About Making Thais understand,that they just can't throw litter/garbage on the ground and leave it there: WOW...that's a big one,coz many Thais,will feel they'll loose face,when you ask them,to clean up.

When i have workers,i always tell them before they begin: Clean up afterwards.I will simply pay them,before i'm satisfied.

Everytime i tell them that,they look on me,like i'm on drugs or from another planet.

When i explain to them,why i think like i do,few understand my way of thinking,but most of them are clearly annoyed/disappointed,that they need to do some work,without extra pay.

I remember a guy,who got very angry about it and i asked him politely and calm,if he was buddhist and he said yes.Then i roared into his face,that when he's borned again in 200-300 years from now,then he could see,what he had done,and to get the hell out of my property immidiately.

I often meet him,and when i do,i always smile.But he never smiles back.

But after all,he's the only person,that have been angry about it.

Yet i can see some huge challenges here.

Let's be honest:mountains of gargage,doesn't attrack more tourist,at least i don't think so.

That's just my own personally opinion :-)

The campain should be; 24/7

KEEP THE NATURE CLEAN,PLEASE!

And please tell you kids and friends,to keep the nature clean.

I wish you all a very good day

Viking.

.

If Thai social media could convince Thais, that respecting the environment and disposing rubbish properly is a good thing.And by not doing so is a big loss of face.people would probably change their attitudes. Not loosing face here seems to be the only motivation.

[lostmebike]

The plastic bag issue seems to be slowly getting through to `brains in charge` here in our beautiful host nation.

However, I think until stores charge for bags like they do in most western countries, the blight of plastic bags blowing around, getting buried or even burnt by my pleb of a neighbour will continue.

I think many here will have withdrawal symptoms if plastic bags are stopped being given out!

[eliotness]

In the UK Tesco give you "green points" on your club card when you reuse old bags or use your own bags. No such thing from Tesco/Lotus. If people thought there was a financial advantage in it, then it would happen, just as has in the UK. So come on Tesco sort out your Club Card in Thailand and start giving green points.

[bangon04]

1.8 million bags in one day is not a lot. It is a very small amount when you think of how many stores there are and how many cutomers there in ONE DAY

You are right that it is not so much in the grand scheme. So would you be happy to bury 1.8 million used plastic bags in your personal garden?