Thai environment minister declares war on plastic bags at markets - D-Day July 21st

[owl sees all]

32 minutes ago, ChrisY1 said:

Understand.....but it's universal almost....Australia just imposed a plastic bag ban at supermarkets....near riots was the initial result!

Well if U rioted in Thailand U risk being shot or run over by a tank.

 

The answer is obvious especially seeing that the footy has just finished. Save all the bags in the village and when they have enough (say 10k) get the villlagers to sort them. Screw  them up and put those into the more robust bags. And those into others. And so on.

 

Liberal use of elastic bands would be in order (plenty of them about too) when they get to football size throw them to the kids for kick-a-bouts.

 

Might discover a Rooney!

[ratcatcher]

58 minutes ago, spidermike007 said:

Just the job title "Thai environmental minister" is an oxymoronic statement within itself. What does this guy do all day? 

 

As I stated previously: 

A change in consciousness must start at the most basic level. Most Thais think plastic is the best thing ever invented, and the percentage of Thais that even consider the negative ramifications of plastic is incredibly small. This requires some education. I always do two things to avoid the consumption of plastic.

 

1. I bring re-usable bags with me every time I go shopping. I use the larger shopping bags I buy in the US, which are made of recycled materials. Most of the clerks have to be dealt with. Even when they see my bag, they still start putting the stuff in plastic. I always mai sai toom. No plastic! Then they start loading up my bag. Most look at me like I am from Mars. Do I care? Not one iota. About 1% thank me, and get it. Not many do. My Thai wife does not like bringing the bags to the store. I force her to. By now, she expects it, and sometimes even asks if I have any bags in the car, or on the motorbike. Same with the water bottles. It used to embarrass her. Now, it is second nature, as I have been doing this for so long, she expects it. So, if a Thai can be conditioned to follow these simple principals, then anyone can. 

2. I bring a bottle of water with me, every time I go to a restaurant. I refill my plastic bottles from the 20 liter bottles at home. It is easy. I never buy bottled water at a restaurant. This saves 300-600 bottles a year. I use a plastic bottle dozens of times. I never get any flack from the restaurants. Only once did someone say something to me. She said you cannot bring you own water. My response was if you serve the water in a glass bottle, and I do not have to consume a plastic bottle, I am happy to pay for that. She was lost. I told her to leave and get me my food. She went away. 

We simply cannot say we are concerned about the environment, and then do nothing about it. Action demonstrates commitment. Lack of action demonstrates nothing. 

Lastly, restaurants can demonstrate their commitment, by serving drinking water from the 20 liter bottles. It saves alot of plastic. They lose a small amount of revenue, by not selling thousands of bottles of water. But, their operation is still profitable, and they are making a real difference. 

There really is not need to be consuming water in plastic bottles. At least not often. There are alternatives. Those damn bottles are a real culprit, when it comes to fouling the environment. What can we do, if we say we care?It is easy enough to avoid BPA, and other toxic chemicals that leach from the plastic, if the bottle sits in the sun, or has been sitting for too long, or is re-used a few times. This can easily be avoided by purchasing these bottles shown here. They are on ebay, and shipping to Thailand is either free or less than $1. The bottles are one liter, and a half liter. Only $2-3 each. Worth it. I use them daily. 

If you are fortunate enough to be able to shop at Makro,,

then you will know that they only provide plastic bags for carrying meat and fish. All other goods go out in the trolley/cart or in your own bags that you provide. They will also sell you a sturdy bag or three if you wish. 

[Cadbury]

6 minutes ago, ratcatcher said:

Traditional 'wet markets' are the worst possible place to start this so-called war on plastics. 

How about ordering to cease putting single pre-packaged items in plastic bags which are invariably discarded the moment the purchaser has left the shop. That might help just a bit.

Wet markets on the other hand need some sort of clean container for the buyer to transport the food to their home.

Couldn't agree more although not surprising. So when I next go to the Ying Charoen market to buy my wet tripe I will ask him to put it in a paper bag? Education in the proper disposal of plastic bags for recycling is part answer to the problem. Throwing them in the nearest klong or drain is not responsible disposal.

Most government policies are formulated by knee-jerk responses without the brain being engaged. We seem to be constantly reminded that Thailand is being managed by inexperienced military officers who lack commonsense.

[attrayant]

Do any major retailers in Thailand offer the large, plain brown grocery bag?

 

[ratcatcher]

14 minutes ago, attrayant said:

Do any major retailers in Thailand offer the large, plain brown grocery bag?

 

Never seen paper bags here in Thailand, but the raisin muffins look good.

[utalkin2me]

So what will they serve me my coca cola in a plastic bag in now? 

[bluesofa]

39 minutes ago, ratcatcher said:

Traditional 'wet markets' are the worst possible place to start this so-called war on plastics. 

How about ordering to cease putting single pre-packaged items in plastic bags which are invariably discarded the moment the purchaser has left the shop. That might help just a bit.

Wet markets on the other hand need some sort of clean container for the buyer to transport the food to their home.

I've posted about 7 Eleven before.

Well over a year ago, on their website they talked about Corporate Social Responsibility, and as well as educating kids, claimed they were starting to ask customers who made a single item purchase if they wanted a bag.

No, I have never been asked either.

What they say and what they do are not the same.

When I contacted 7 Eleven about it, their response was deafening - they just didn't reply to any emails I sent.

 

[tropo]

2 hours ago, attrayant said:

 

How was it handled before the era of plastic bags?

 

[edit] Speaking from my own experience, which would have been back in the 70s when I was a young teen and started going grocery shopping with my mother, there were, of course, paper bags.  

 

Paper bags do take some getting used to.  They're stronger than plastic but you need to hold them from the bottom and sometimes use two hands if the bags is heavy. 

 

 

However a single paper bag holds perhaps two to three, maybe even four times what will fit in a plastic bag.  When you're finished with it, it folds and stacks neatly.

 

2

That's OK for people walking home with just one or perhaps two bags, or using a car for shopping, but I was wondering how I would get a trolley load of shopping home from Big-C on my motorcycle with paper bags?

 

 

[wabothai]

Perhaps first thing to do for the minister is make thais familiar with the fact that the world has environmental problems.

Most thais don't have the slightest idea, what is going on.

[stanleycoin]

34 minutes ago, attrayant said:

Do any major retailers in Thailand offer the large, plain brown grocery bag?

 

It won't work, that type of Paper is in earmarked for other use in Thailand.

So it's in sort supply,  not enough left for shopping bags. 

 

 

[ratcatcher]

2 minutes ago, tropo said:

That's OK for people walking home with just one or perhaps two bags, or using a car for shopping, but I was wondering how I would get a trolley load of shopping home from Big-C on my motorcycle with paper bags?

Maybe take 3 or 4 sturdy plastic bags with you,and mount a box or some kind of container on the seat behind you. My wife does it when she goes shopping on her bike.

[attrayant]

41 minutes ago, tropo said:

That's OK for people walking home with just one or perhaps two bags, or using a car for shopping, but I was wondering how I would get a trolley load of shopping home from Big-C on my motorcycle with paper bags?

 

The total amount of mass you can carry on your motorbike is fixed.  Putting it in paper bags instead of plastic "sacks" just changes how it's distributed.  

 

As I said in a prior post, you can't simply change from plastic to paper overnight.  Lots of other things, including ingrained behaviors, are going to need to change too.  Maybe you'll need to get your motorbike fitted with a rear caddy or other platform that can support cargo.  If it can be done for a bicycle, it can be done for a motorbike:
 

 

This might even create a cottage industry of retrofitting motorbikes with such things.

[Lupatria]

5 hours ago, webfact said:

Thai environment minister declares war on plastic bags

...and they will surrender waving white plastic flags like they did in their war on meth and yaba.

[DoctorG]

I am a bit of a rebel. I take my plastic bag to the market. ?

[DrTuner]

Sponsor reusable bags for free at cashiers. I'd want them.

[seancbk]

4 hours ago, Surfin CEO said:

Another joke by the powers that be in Thailand,  Waste of time,  Just STOP USING PLASTIC. PERIOD!

Over ten years ago Hawaii, USA stopped using plastic bags. You never see them anymore.

We go grocery shopping with a reusable canvas bag brought from home.

WAKE UP THAILAND!

I take it you don't buy ready to eat curries and veggies from market stalls very often.   

[masuk]

5 hours ago, Surfin CEO said:

Another joke by the powers that be in Thailand,  Waste of time,  Just STOP USING PLASTIC. PERIOD!

Over ten years ago Hawaii, USA stopped using plastic bags. You never see them anymore.

We go grocery shopping with a reusable canvas bag brought from home.

WAKE UP THAILAND!

A few Aussie states are following suit.  July 1st was the start and no more bags at supermarket checkouts.  Only one state has a compulsory deposit on drink cans, bottles, refundable on return. A pity more didn't do the same and good on Thailand for trying to clean up.

[Destiny1990]

Charge for each bag 5 or 10 bht problem solved.

folks will bring their own bags.

[upena]

One day event photo op and then back to normal

[fxe1200]

4 hours ago, Vacuum said:

Yes, this is all fine. However, in Thailand people buy ready-made food which is sold in small plastc bags, how would you handle that?

Whenever my kids go and buy food, or soup on the market, they take sealable PE containers from home. Also very useful are the plastic containers from Wall's ice cream, the big pack. They can be washed and reused zillions of times.

[zzidenn]

4 hours ago, Thailand said:

Been using enviro  friendly reusable bags for years. Used to incredulous looks from staff when saying "Mai sai tung".

However, nowadays the occassional "Di  maak" and big smiles show some progress.

yeah me too, i actually never get bad reactions and i also get compliments lol. yes it sometimes confuses the cashiers but thats really not my problem when i get out my various shopping totes. one just has to remember taking them along 

[MikeN]

3 hours ago, ratcatcher said:

Traditional 'wet markets' are the worst possible place to start this so-called war on plastics. 

How about ordering to cease putting single pre-packaged items in plastic bags which are invariably discarded the moment the purchaser has left the shop. That might help just a bit.

Wet markets on the other hand need some sort of clean container for the buyer to transport the food to their home.

but fruit and veg markets, as in the OP photo, do not need each vegetable to be put into their own plastic bags, they can all go into one reusable cloth bag.

as for the soups, curries. etc, in the plastic bags ….taking your own tiffin container would eliminate the need for many of those bags (and the pesky rubber bands !)

[MikeN]

2 hours ago, tropo said:

That's OK for people walking home with just one or perhaps two bags, or using a car for shopping, but I was wondering how I would get a trolley load of shopping home from Big-C on my motorcycle with paper bags?

 

 

well, I did once see a guy in the village riding a motorbike with his missus sitting backwards and holding on to an old shopping trolley full of stuff. probably would not want to do that on Sukhumwit road though ?

[ESCAPIS]

Good Luck with that!

80% of my bin is plastic bags and containers , and that is after just one visit to Makro.

 

Big C, Tops, Tesco, and their flimsy  bags, use two carrier bags simultaneously to bag few items. I use those to line the small bins within the house.

 

Street vendors, Takeaway restaurants and the likes is where the Minister will find stiff refusal/rebellion.

 

As I said earlier, Good Luck!

[bluesofa]

1 minute ago, MikeN said:

well, I did once see a guy in the village riding a motorbike with his missus sitting backwards and holding on to an old shopping trolley full of stuff. probably would not want to do that on Sukhumwit road though ?

True.

As soon as they stop at traffic lights, the opportunist vultures would descend and run off with half the purchases.

 

[bluesofa]

6 minutes ago, ESCAPIS said:

{snipped}

Street vendors, Takeaway restaurants and the likes is where the Minister will find stiff refusal/rebellion.

As I said earlier, Good Luck!

Very sadly I think the reality is more likely going to be 'Good photo opportunity', and not a lot more.

 

[Bragolatch]

A really easy way to improve the situation would be for the gouvernment to ease the way in to one of the bio degradable substitute like :

 

https://www.associatedbag.com/ShowCategory.aspx?CategoryID=3069&gclid=CjwKCAjw7cDaBRBtEiwAsxprXfcyHwTYr9wrWT_prQ0xsVqU-BqPXNXTtkWc97egrLAQlfbl1ykegRoC4TUQAvD_BwE

 

or better yet, build a manufactory to produce and distribute their own at the same or lower price then plastic making the change a no brainer while creating jobs locally.

[DonaldBattles]

The Chinese Government had the balls to ban trow away plastic bags 6 years ago. Reusable bags are available for sale in all stores in China. When will the Thai government get smart and do the same?

[Jimbo1964]

The phrase "Pissing in the wind" comes to mind!

[bluesofa]

4 minutes ago, Bragolatch said:

A really easy way to improve the situation would be for the gouvernment to ease the way in to one of the bio degradable substitute like :

 

https://www.associatedbag.com/ShowCategory.aspx?CategoryID=3069&gclid=CjwKCAjw7cDaBRBtEiwAsxprXfcyHwTYr9wrWT_prQ0xsVqU-BqPXNXTtkWc97egrLAQlfbl1ykegRoC4TUQAvD_BwE

 

or better yet, build a manufactory to produce and distribute their own at the same or lower price then plastic making the change a no brainer while creating jobs locally.

I'd be keen on the government doing something - almost anything about this problem. Hence my continual posting of videos about cassava non-plastic bags.

 

It's one thing saying it will create jobs locally - what about the plastic bag manufacturers within Thailand that undoubtedly have powerful influence in the right places. They'll do anything to avoid losing money.