Relevant parties should be issued with rubber coated canvas to cover up the eyesore. This is the solution that has been suggested for Koh Samui refuse dump!!!!!! ..... out of sight out of mind   http://www.samuitimes.com/koh-samui-municipality-to-use-canvas-to-cover-garbage/

Two points I would like to make, I have followed people on motorcycles eating whatever it was and then just toss the Styrofoam container and plastic bag on the road, I have seen this on many occasions. Never any thought about disposing of it responsibly.

 

A couple of years back we went to the local Longboat racing, there were thousands of people there, not one rubbish bin to be seen, the following day the place looked like a rubbish tip, City Hall just sent in a couple of dozen underpaid workers to pick it all up.

 

Why do the indigenous population have absolutely no pride in what is, in some parts a beautiful country ?   

2 hours ago, Retiredandhappyhere said:

Stevenl has just confirmed what we all suspected.......that, since we have to understand that in Thailand the word "tourist" does not necessarily mean "foreigners", then TATs "tourist" numbers are indeed inflated by millions of Thais just moving about their own country.  As many of them are probably just visiting members of their own (extended) families, this would explain why many posters on here who are associated with the tourist industry constantly complain about the lack of visitors to their guest houses, hotels and restaurants.

 

Or does he want us also to understand that TAT's interpretation of "tourist" is somewhat different to his own and different to the one he expects us to believe?

Would depend on the number you want to use.

 

If you're looking at tourist arrivals, it would be tourist arriving in the country, therefor from abroad. If you look at tourists staying in hotels etc., the tourists can also include Thais.

 

I admit though, interpreting these numbers is not always easy, so better just leave that to the ones who understand them.

Surely, the trash issue in Thailand starts at their own doorstep.

Stopping the use of the styrofoam boxes, and millions of plastic bags along with all the wood skewers is a 100% home grown problem

Simple solution - stop all the street vendors and sidewalk stalls selling food.

This would overnight stop 99% of the trash, keep the drains from blocking, thus preventing flooding, and also improve public health.through improved hygene.

But this aint gonna happen, because many tourists come to the country to experience the " street food ".

So what do you want ? no trash , or no tourists ( not that I condone trash dropping in any way )

Even so, even if I did what I always do, carry my garbage back to my room if I don't see a garbage bin enroute, does the Health Department ever consider what the average hotel does with the garbage?

 

In many areas of Thailand there is no garbage collection. The garbage is burned or dumped somewhere else.  Management of garbage disposal in Thailand is the government's responsibility yet it's the attitude of this health minister that indicates that they think we are totally responsible for this, that they are not interested in helping the public interest with any of it.

 

It is not only an eyesore, but it is a menace to people's health that they are spending hours a day enveloped in smoke from burning toxics in waste that is personally attended to and disposed of. Tourists and ordinary people or even businesses are not in a position to dispose of their waste properly, if disposing of waste means moving it to be recycled or put in a place that is relatively safe such as a designated  landfill. The attitude of this Health Ministry guy is a bigger part of the problem and scolding and pointing the finger at the public is simply attempt to shift the blame.

Do they seriously believe the tourists are responsible? Most of the crap emanates directly from the stalls set up to serve them - as it does the country over.

9 hours ago, HiSoLowSoNoSo said:

Most tourists here are foreigners or am I wrong?

 

I've lived at Jomtien Beach for 14 years. (I'm CDN)

Lately most of the tourists at this end of the beach (Chaiyapruk Road & south)

 are BKK folks down to the beach for a weekend. Generally pretty neat people.

 

I did notice last weekend at Suvarnabhumi airport (picking up visitors) that the lower level restaurant was full of Chinese tourists waiting for their flight.

When a group of about 15 left their table, it was a total mess - a "Disaster" as Trump would say ! Pity the cleaning staff as they mopped it up.

How hard is it to cart your trash to the nearest bin ???

 

 

 

Again one of those announcements, where you just can not believe what you just read...

Better you teach YOUR people in Thailand to take care of envirement as they throw garbage anywhere and everywhere without any feeling of wrong doing!

What an impertinance to blame the tourists!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

Clean up your country as anytime i am in Thailand i see how people get rid of their trash. My mom wont visit Thaland due to the everywhere dumped garbage!

"....refrain from discarding garbage at tourist attractions in a way that may threaten the environment and pose a health hazard."

 

Thainess at its best!  Why only tourist attractions?  What about refraining from discarding rubbish anywhere except in their own bins or any that are provided in the public domain.  Yes, I know there is a distinct lack of waste bins throughout Thailand, as many of you have already pointed out, but it seems part of the Thai Culture to discard rubbish onto the ground, even where bins are provided; just stand outside any 7/11 and watch the usual waste disposal system - Unbelievable!  Every day, I watch Thais exiting the 7/11, stand next to the bin and drop food wrappers, cigarette wrappers, receipts and any other rubbish they have, directly onto the ground right next to the bin.  The many food stalls outside 7/11s contribute to the mess by wiping waste food directly onto the ground and discarding their washing-up water everywhere; no wonder the cockroaches are nearly the size of rats!  It is just basic hygiene to dispose of rubbish in an appropriate manner, something that is sadly lacking here, no doubt due to parents' role model failure.

 

I'm not expecting any changes for the better in the near future, so I won't hold my breath.  

After having spent some years living in a small picturesque seaside town in the UK I can say, garbage is not just a problem in Thailand.

There are bins everywhere in the town I was in and how many times I have seen a pile of empty takeaway food boxes just left 5m from an empty bin I could not count.

On the other hand I am not talking about this being done by locals, but by "tourists of all nationalities", both UK and foreign.

It is the same situation here...

But don't blame the bin men, they work hard here, it is not their fault.

1 hour ago, George FmplesdaCosteedback said:

After having spent some years living in a small picturesque seaside town in the UK I can say, garbage is not just a problem in Thailand.

There are bins everywhere in the town I was in and how many times I have seen a pile of empty takeaway food boxes just left 5m from an empty bin I could not count.

On the other hand I am not talking about this being done by locals, but by "tourists of all nationalities", both UK and foreign.

It is the same situation here...

But don't blame the bin men, they work hard here, it is not their fault.

 

You need to visit Cairo.

 

not much compares to that.... where if you don't actually finish building your house, you don't have to pay tax... so nobody finishes building.... building rubble everywhere, graded up into makeshift pyramids ( I think it's a cultural thing) as is the rubbish... stinking masses of five meter high pyramidal stinking sheet

 

or Luanda... where everything gets tossed into the dry canals, sitting festering until monsoon season

 

or.......

 

by comparison, Thailand, rubbish included, is a paradise, as far as a third world country goes.

 

actually... I think they need to revisit the whole "world index" idea.... because comparitively, some third world countries are more correctly fifth or worse, world countries

 

so... block your nose, for a minute here and there, and enjoy the sheet out of everything else.... which is why we are here....

 

ok... some are here for the delectables... but there's more than that... much more

 

chill mon... have a happy Xmas and a merry new year... and try not to kill anyone accidental like

18 hours ago, smedly said:

ok so tourists are being blamed for garbage in Thailand..........................well why not ban them all then you won't have a garbage problem ............................ seriously

 

 

sorry I couldn't think of anything sensible to say to this ..................garbage

 

whoever made this statement should be sent to the garbage pits on the islands with a shovel and a wheel barrow - hey this is now your responsibility - get digging.......

 

shocking

 

check tourists suitcases at the airport for garbage.......it must be coming from somewhere

here's an idea - before having a rant READ THE ARTICLE. It tells the type of tourists they are targeting and its pretty clear from the pictures that it is INTERNAL tourists they are going after .

 

Look at the reports about the tons of refuse that have accumulated around the areas where people are queuing up to view a certain body

 

It may surprise you to know that there is (as in most countries) a large amount of internal tourism (hence the comments about festivals) but don't let that get in the way of having a bash.

1 hour ago, Psimbo said:

here's an idea - before having a rant READ THE ARTICLE. It tells the type of tourists they are targeting and its pretty clear from the pictures that it is INTERNAL tourists they are going after .

 

Look at the reports about the tons of refuse that have accumulated around the areas where people are queuing up to view a certain body

 

It may surprise you to know that there is (as in most countries) a large amount of internal tourism (hence the comments about festivals) but don't let that get in the way of having a bash.

no kidding sherlock

tsk tsk you guys... remember to discard your condoms and dildos properly after u use them at the beach. The fishes and turtles gonna choke on it..

 

 

Thailand  is LOS  not  land  of  good  clean  people  who  do  not  litter.

  I  do however  blame  some  government  areas.  Stop  the  corruption

stop  the  graft.  Stop  lying  in the  case  of  TAT,  and  stop  some

of these tourist  from nearby  China  if  they  cannot  act  a  lot  more

civilized.  I  have seen  many arrogant  people who  have travelled from

China, as well as some  from Korea  and Japan, and thankfully  I have

also seen  a lot  of good clean  decent  travellers from these countries

as well. I have seen som real arrogant  and ignorant Russian tourists as well!

Geezer

30 minutes ago, Stargrazer9889 said:

Thailand  is LOS  not  land  of  good  clean  people  who  do  not  litter.

  I  do however  blame  some  government  areas.  Stop  the  corruption

stop  the  graft.  Stop  lying  in the  case  of  TAT,  and  stop  some

of these tourist  from nearby  China  if  they  cannot  act  a  lot  more

civilized.  I  have seen  many arrogant  people who  have travelled from

China, as well as some  from Korea  and Japan, and thankfully  I have

also seen  a lot  of good clean  decent  travellers from these countries

as well. I have seen som real arrogant  and ignorant Russian tourists as well!

Geezer

 

Yes... both amazingly and disturbingly

 

perhaps they look down on the lessor paid locals, and view them as lowly servants to be treated with such disrespect

 

But.... i think that none of us here, will ever forget that disgusting  Chinese feeding frenzy at the seafood buffet trough article... and I'm sure that that alone, will color our own impressions and attitudes.... rightly or wrongly, as admittedly, it was done by a small amount of people, on that day, and may justifiably be seen as an isolated event.

Tourists dont buy often food in foam trays but Thais do it every day ...

On 21/12/2016 at 0:16 PM, HiSoLowSoNoSo said:

Not trying to make this into a Thai against foreigner thing, but if you ask Thais what a tourist is, they will most likely answer that a Tourist is a foreigner.  

Oh c'mon it is. Remember when those Thai tourists dumped on the waterfall in Switzerland and tried to blame it on the bus driver.