I  have just been shopping at Foodland, Pattya Klang and was amazed and very pleased when I was informed by the cashier that I was entitled to 1% discount for not taking any plastic bags. What a wonderful initiative in a country seemingly obsessed by plastic bags. O.k so 1% is not a lot but it is a step in the right direction and hopefully other stores will follow suit-I am not holding my breath though! Just an aside; the elderly foreign couple in front of me spent almost 6k thb on less than a full trolley load of shopping for which I counted a total of 33 plastic bags being used. I am certain that I could have packed the amount of shopping they had in less than 10 bags.

Indeed. Super...... MS>

 

Even if I only buy one small thing always ask for a plastic bag....

I like plastic bags...The more the better....

Another plastic bag lover here.

 

I use them mostly as garbage bags after I throw out 1 or 2 plastic water bottles in a plastic (garbage) bag.

 

They are so convenience!

I am always getting frustrated when  I see how many bags to pack everything.

Even in 7-11 I have to tell the cashier to put it in the same bag as the rest and not waste another plastic bag. 

 

In Belgium we pay 10 €cent/bag used. But it is good news we can get a 1% discount if we don't use plastic bags. I have enough of those 
recycled reusable bags I use to shop in Belgium. I can use them in Thailand too.

4 minutes ago, Bastos60 said:

In Belgium we pay 10 €cent/bag used.

that's not a reason for the same madness to happen here.

the best solution is that the government makes biodegradable bags compulsory and bans other plastic bags.

44 minutes ago, manarak said:

that's not a reason for the same madness to happen here.

the best solution is that the government makes biodegradable bags compulsory and bans other plastic bags.

Did I give a reason they should start that madness there? NO, I DID NOT.

 

Biodegradable although better than plain plastic is still not the best solution.

Those bags still need to end up in a landfill covered with soil for them to degrade at all.

 

Reusable woven bags made from natural materials is the only viable answer.

21 minutes ago, Bastos60 said:

Did I give a reason they should start that madness there? NO, I DID NOT.

 

Biodegradable although better than plain plastic is still not the best solution.

Those bags still need to end up in a landfill covered with soil for them to degrade at all.

 

Reusable woven bags made from natural materials is the only viable answer.

there are bags which degrade fast over 2-3 years

1 hour ago, manarak said:

there are bags which degrade fast over 2-3 years

In soil. which means they need to burried in a landfill and covered with soil. And that is what I wrote.
If the bag is not reusable it is not a solution.

I'd have to spend that 1% discount on plastic garbage bags.

 

17 hours ago, Bastos60 said:

In soil. which means they need to burried in a landfill and covered with soil. And that is what I wrote.
If the bag is not reusable it is not a solution.

 

Strange that under my kitchen sink there are several plastic bags that have degraded pretty much to dust in just a couple of years.  They're not buried, nor are they exposed to sunlight.  But when I pulled them out to use the appliances that came in them (I keep the boxes in the original bags), they came out in pieces no bigger than a postage stamp.  Made a heck of a mess for me to vacuum up.

 

4 minutes ago, impulse said:

I'd have to spend that 1% discount on plastic garbage bags.

 

 

Strange that under my kitchen sink there are several plastic bags that have degraded pretty much to dust in just a couple of years.  They're not buried, nor are they exposed to sunlight.  But when I pulled them out to use the appliances that came in them (I keep the boxes in the original bags), they came out in pieces no bigger than a postage stamp.  Made a heck of a mess for me to vacuum up.

 

 

Had the same thing happen. Boxes inside plastic bags that had disintegrated when I went to open them. Little bits of plastic bag everywhere.

I've had the plastic bags under the sink fall to pieces too, they dont need to be buried or exposed to UV .

Sometimes its rather inconvenient that they have degraded to dust.

 

The free plastic bags are good for use a bin liners as already stated also good for "pooper scoopers" (for you soi dog feeders) and to stop your head getting wet when it rains thus preventing catching the mnemonic plague AKA common cold virus.

 

 

56 minutes ago, impulse said:

I'd have to spend that 1% discount on plastic garbage bags.

 

 

Strange that under my kitchen sink there are several plastic bags that have degraded pretty much to dust in just a couple of years.  They're not buried, nor are they exposed to sunlight.  But when I pulled them out to use the appliances that came in them (I keep the boxes in the original bags), they came out in pieces no bigger than a postage stamp.  Made a heck of a mess for me to vacuum up.

 

And those are good bags?

Those are actually not biodegradable plastic but rather environmentally degradable plastic. And really not all that safe for the environment as inorganic components still end up polluting the environment.

Biodegradable plastics, decompose through bacterial actions achieved while being burried.

 

19 minutes ago, Bastos60 said:

And those are good bags?

Those are actually not biodegradable plastic but rather environmentally degradable plastic. And really not all that safe for the environment as inorganic components still end up polluting the environment.

Biodegradable plastics, decompose through bacterial actions achieved while being burried.

 

So, let me ask you this.   If I were to use woven bags- the only viable solution (your words) to bring my groceries home, how would I get my kitchen trash from the 5th floor down to the bin in the parking lot of my apartment building?   Without having to spend hours every week cleaning the stink out of a slop bucket, I mean.

 

Today,  I use the bags from BigC and TESCO.  Perfect size for a day's worth of kitchen scraps.

 

Reusable woven bags have their place. But they're only part of the solution.  Regardless of how we carry our stuff home, without solid waste management the problem will go on.  The plastic bags area tiny part of the packaging.  You'd still have to deal with the rest.

 

 

5 hours ago, impulse said:

 

So, let me ask you this.   If I were to use woven bags- the only viable solution (your words) to bring my groceries home, how would I get my kitchen trash from the 5th floor down to the bin in the parking lot of my apartment building?   Without having to spend hours every week cleaning the stink out of a slop bucket, I mean.

 

Today,  I use the bags from BigC and TESCO.  Perfect size for a day's worth of kitchen scraps.

 

Reusable woven bags have their place. But they're only part of the solution.  Regardless of how we carry our stuff home, without solid waste management the problem will go on.  The plastic bags area tiny part of the packaging.  You'd still have to deal with the rest.

 

 

They are indeed only part of a solution. The problem with waste is far larger problem. 
But we are only talking about the grocery bags and not about waste management. 
 

I might have exaggerated a bit the woven bags were the only solution, but they are part of a solution to reduce the plastic waste.

 

You re-use those bags for collecting trash and that is fine, as long as they are (bio)degradable.  But usually those bags end up in the trash bin.
 

 

Next week, if you want a bag, you are charged 1% of the bill. Then i will hear the comments.

Where does one buy a re-usable shopping bag? I received a couple of bags as promotions from the stores, but can't find any to buy.

51 minutes ago, mikeyla said:

Where does one buy a re-usable shopping bag? I received a couple of bags as promotions from the stores, but can't find any to buy.

 

I bought some big ones at BigC and some smaller ones at Makro.