Cap seal to be phased out in Thailand within a year

[webfact]

Cap seal to be phased out in Thailand within a year

 

 

BANGKOK: -- Thailand is expected to phase out cap seal within a year which means that the problem of 520 tonnes of cap seals which are dumped into the environment each year will be resolved.

 

Mr Chatuporn Burutpat, director-general of Pollution Control Department, said over the weekend that most producers of bottled drinking water had pledged to phase out the use of cap seal within a year, starting in all national parks and conference rooms of state agencies where drinking water with cap seal will be banned.

 

He explained that cap seal had nothing to do with the hygiene or cleanliness of the bottled water, but was used to make sure that water is not leaked out of the bottles.

 

However, he said that cap seal is dangerous to the environment because it does not dissolve easily and is of no use at all.

 

About 7 billion bottles of drinking water are produced each year and 2.6 million cap seals are used as some bottlers do not use cap seals.

 

Full story: http://englishnews.thaipbs.or.th/cap-seal-phased-thailand-within-year/

 

-- © Copyright Thai PBS 2017-06-12

 

[cooked]

Meanwhile you can collect the cap seals in a plastic bag and dump them in the canal

[DinoSabanovic]

Finally !!

[jaiyen]

So how will they seal the bottles? Or will they be unsealed so anyone can go in a shop and easily open the bottle and drink from it and put it back.

 

[rickb]

This is a smart move and good for the environment.  The bottles are already sealed with the cap.  If someone breaks the cap seal, it would be obvious to the buyer and that bottle should not be purchased.  As the article says, many water bottles already don't use the additional plastic seal.  

 

[Toshiba66]

I think they have much bigger environmental issues to deal with rather than these seals.

 

The litter issue is outrageous. Bangkok is just one big rubbish dump.

[rickb]

Sure they have much bigger environmental issues.  But every little bit helps!  Every marathon run starts with the first step.

[biplanebluey]

15 minutes ago, rickb said:

This is a smart move and good for the environment.  The bottles are already sealed with the cap.  If someone breaks the cap seal, it would be obvious to the buyer and that bottle should not be purchased.  As the article says, many water bottles already don't use the additional plastic seal.  

 

2.6 million cap seals !!!!!! I'm sure there are much more things they could be targeting than this bit of trivea.But it gets you in the news .Big healines good for ego,now lets forget it and go home.

[williamgeorgeallen]

8 minutes ago, Toshiba66 said:

I think they have much bigger environmental issues to deal with rather than these seals.

 

The litter issue is outrageous. Bangkok is just one big rubbish dump.

i am with you there. i would have though charging for plastic bags would have been the first and more effective move.

[MrMo]

While anything to reduce trash in the environment is good we also need a reduction of trash in the news media.   2.6 million cap seals do not weight 520 tonnes or to simplify it fifty thousand cap seals do not weigh 10 tonnes.

 

Wherever trash reporting occurs the people end up with trash government.

Edited June 12, 2017 by MrMo
Cocked up maths

[Estrada]

The cap seals are there to prevent the locals' habit of opening bottles and sniffing them, tasting the contents etc then replacing the cap.  They then either decide to take an unopened bottle or not to take a bottle at all.

[worgeordie]

A very small step,Plastic bags are the the big elephant in the room,that needs dealing 

with,plus a change in the attitude that rubbish is someone else's problem,and its OK

just to dump it anywhere.

regards Worgerordie

[rickb]

2.6 million cap seals out of 7 billion bottles of water just doesn't seem correct.  Almost every bottle of water I've ever seen in Thailand has a cap seal.  So I would expect the number of cap seals to be something much closer to 7 billion.  

 

[cnx355]

33 minutes ago, rickb said:

This is a smart move and good for the environment.  The bottles are already sealed with the cap.  If someone breaks the cap seal, it would be obvious to the buyer and that bottle should not be purchased.  As the article says, many water bottles already don't use the additional plastic seal.  

 

Except that the local drinking water using refillable bottle do not have auto-seal cap.

They have to use the plastic seal over the cap. And you return the bottle ... so less plastic bottles in the environment.

 

In that case they will have to change the bottle type eventually or develop the new auto-seal cap.

[Xonax]

13 minutes ago, MrMo said:

While anything to reduce trash in the environment is good we also need a reduction of trash in the news media.   2.6 million cap seals do not weight 520 tonnes or to simplify it fifty thousand cap seals do not weigh 10 tonnes.

 

Wherever trash reporting occurs the people end up with trash government.

It is probably 2.6 Billion cap seals instead of 2.6 Million.

[rickb]

cns355, I agree with you if you're referring to the large bottles of drinking water that are used with water coolers.  I was only thinking about the smaller bottles, such as 600 ml or 1,500 ml.  But I would think that if they can make auto-seal caps for small bottles, they should be able to do the same with the larger caps also.

[klauskunkel]

520 tons = 520,000 kg = 520,000,000 grams divide by 2,600,000 cap seals = 1 cap seal weighs 200 grams

that's a heavy cap seal, and that's all I have to say about that.

[whatawonderfulday]

Why not just ban plastic bottles and use these edible containers for water ? problem solved ?

 

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/2017/04/12/edible-water-bottle-could-put-end-plastic-packaging/

[Dobredin Ghusputin]

They could go organic all the way and have people lap water directly from the khlongs.

[jaywalker]

I say it's great news!

 

I know that when I'm hung over, with a raging thirst in the tropical heat, trying to get those little seals undone is a nightmare!

[Sparkles]

49 minutes ago, Toshiba66 said:

I think they have much bigger environmental issues to deal with rather than these seals.

 

The litter issue is outrageous. Bangkok is just one big rubbish dump.

Correction : The whole of Thailand is one big rubbish dump.

[NextStationBangkok]

What about the drinking straws comes with the wrap ?  

 

I have more than 20 unused ones at home, even though i tell 7-11 staff not to give , sometimes accidentally they insert in my bag.

 

Giving two straws rather than just one seems polite in Thai culture.

 

Thailand needs redefinition of plastic usage.

[Luckysilk]

They should pass a law that all condominiums must provide unit water filters for each and every unit. I was shocked this wasn't a basic standard.

 

I recently visited a friend and when leaving I offered to take the garbage to their garbage room and the room was FULL of bottled water bottles.

[NextStationBangkok]

6 minutes ago, Luckysilk said:

They should pass a law that all condominiums must provide unit water filters for each and every unit. I was shocked this wasn't a basic standard.

 

I recently visited a friend and when leaving I offered to take the garbage to their garbage room and the room was FULL of bottled water bottles.

 

Hope the toilets had running water....

[Muggi1968]

It will not save the environment but I think it is great that they start to care (a little) ......

 

[Jonmarleesco]

1 hour ago, jaiyen said:

So how will they seal the bottles? Or will they be unsealed so anyone can go in a shop and easily open the bottle and drink from it and put it back.

 

Presumably the same type of seals they use on other bottles, such as milk cartons. But then those still need to be broken, thus leaving a piece to be disposed of. 

[Graemej100]

I think this is a smart move but it is only a small one.

There are five countries in the world responsible for 60% of the ocean's plastic pollution.

Guess who is in the five?

 

[Juan B Tong]

Water Bottle cap sealer manufacturer reportedly purchased a large number of brown envelopes recently.  Possible reversal of decision in future by ministry sighting increased hygiene requirements. 

Edited June 12, 2017 by Juan B Tong

[janhkt]

1 hour ago, jaiyen said:

So how will they seal the bottles? Or will they be unsealed so anyone can go in a shop and easily open the bottle and drink from it and put it back.

 

It should be apparant if a bottle lid has been opened anyway.

[evadgib]

I share the view that plastic should be replaced by something that harmlessly degrades.

 

Re seals; I thought they were introduced to keep supermarket poisoners/blackmailers at bay?