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

[sambum]

1 hour ago, Naamblar2014 said:

How about what People used to carry their lunch in.  Could easily carry that to the market to receive hot foods,  deserts etc.

I think we get your point!!!

[ratcatcher]

1 hour ago, VBF said:

For goodness sake!  Either you're trolling or you just aren't looking around. 

 

Open your eyes and look at how much plastic waste is being dumped all over Thailand, and many other countries.

Watch "The Blue Planet 2"  - Sir David Attenborough brought it to our attention - where were you? 

 

Citarum river2.pps

[sambum]

7 minutes ago, smtsetup said:

I have never been to Hawaii but after years in Thailand, I can tell that the local people do not much plan their shopping. When they feel hungry, they stop to buy a lunch. When they need to wash a shirt and need a bag of detergent and notice that no-have-detergent-at-home, they go to the closest 7/11 and buy a small bag of detergent. And so on.

 

Thais also like being served, the poor and the rich alike. It makes them feel important when the cashier puts or wraps their purchases in plastic bags, preferably only a couple of items a bag, as many bags as possible, heavy items like a 6-pack of beer in double or treble bags. I can not see much chance they would do anything to give up this practice voluntarily.

 

Thais generally also love animals and recently they mourned over the fate of a whale with its stomach full of plastic,

Yet that mourning lasts only until the next shocking news on Facebook, and they can not see any connection with their personal choices as consumers and the terrible state of the seas.

It's been mentioned numerous times before but if they people had to pay for their plastic bags, the amount used would drastically reduce overnight.

[Formaleins]

It will be interesting to see them carrying a litre of Benzine in an open bucket instead of a plastic bag.

Thailand declares war on plastic bags - Three weeks down the line the headlines will read "Thailand colludes with plastic bags in war update" - "Thailand, the only country in Asia not to be overrun or colonized by a foreign power, has surrendered to the plastic bags"

Plastic bags have taken over Northern Thailand and are using POW's to build the new rail link from China to Southern Thailand."

 

Thailand supports plastic bags in struggle against communism. Great Britain agrees not to prosecute Thailand and Prayuth for war crimes in its collusion with the plastic bags. US pressures Britain to accept plastic bags full of rice instead of war crimes trial.

[tropo]

4 hours ago, attrayant said:

 

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.

I'm not interested in fitting anything to my motorcycle to make it paper bag friendly. IMO paper bags are ridiculous (and will require plastic bags to protect them if it rains) and hopefully, that idea will stay in the US. If it came to that, and I'm pretty certain it will not, I'll bring my own plastic and keep on doing it the same way that has worked for 12 years. Next someone will be telling me to buy a car and burn up more fossil fuel to save on plastic bags...

[sambum]

1 hour ago, VBF said:

For goodness sake!  Either you're trolling or you just aren't looking around. 

 

Open your eyes and look at how much plastic waste is being dumped all over Thailand, and many other countries.

Watch "The Blue Planet 2"  - Sir David Attenborough brought it to our attention - where were you? 

Sir David Attenborough - a very clever man who knows how to get his point across, and I don't think I have ever had cause to disagree with any of his statements.

[ozmeldo]

Open markets should be the last place to crack down. Dealing with food in a dirty area, especially in the wet market.

 

Go after the corporate stores like 711, Big C, etc. Go after manufacturers!

[tropo]

8 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!

What do you do then if you decide to do some impromptu shopping? Do you have to go home and pick up some canvas bags first?... or do you walk around with them all day just in case you want to buy something, assuming you don't have a car parked somewhere nearby? Or maybe just walk around all day with a backpack, just in case you need to shop? 

 

If this is called waking up, I hope Thailand remains fast asleep.

[sambum]

30 minutes ago, juice777 said:

So dose this mean the staff in 7/11 won't look at me like I just took a s*** in there kettle when I say don't worry about putting my 250ML bottle of sprite in a plastic bag ?

I doubt it.

Sent from my SM-G900F using Tapatalk
 

See seancbk Post #80 re 711- all you have to say is "Save Plastic" and they will get your drift. I believe the ball has finally started rolling -  as I mentioned in a previous post, shopkeepers are starting to ask if people want plastic bags, and that is a good start. It is up to all of us to ensure that it doesn't lose momentum. 

[jvs]

6 hours ago, attrayant said:

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

 

Is putting muffins packaged in plastic into a paper bag nearly the same as supersizing a meal and drink a diet soda?It looks good maybe but who is fooling who?

[Gandtee]

9 hours ago, chrisinth said:

Starting the campaign at food markets maybe isn't the brightest of ideas. Normally the products are not 'dry' and to mix the products in the customer's own bag, as low as the risk maybe, isn't the most hygienic way of bringing wares home. 

 

Especially with the number of reports about the pesticides and other chemicals being used in the growing stages.

Why not use the Tiffin cans as they used to for cooked food?

[Athens]

Just say no to Plastic bags at 7/11, Tesco etc. Bring your own bags------

[BuckleUp]

I'm sure going to miss the dozens of little bags and rubber bands we collect every day from lunch and dinner at the local joints.

[sambum]

22 minutes ago, tropo said:

What do you do then if you decide to do some impromptu shopping? Do you have to go home and pick up some canvas bags first?... or do you walk around with them all day just in case you want to buy something, assuming you don't have a car parked somewhere nearby? Or maybe just walk around all day with a backpack, just in case you need to shop? 

 

If this is called waking up, I hope Thailand remains fast asleep.

I think that people are being asked to be a bit more responsible regarding the use of plastic bags, Of course, if you "decide to do some impromptu shopping" then you may have to use plastic bags, but if you know that you are going shopping, then take your own bags with you - use a bit of common sense!

[Gandtee]

18 minutes ago, sambum said:

I think that people are being asked to be a bit more responsible regarding the use of plastic bags, Of course, if you "decide to do some impromptu shopping" then you may have to use plastic bags, but if you know that you are going shopping, then take your own bags with you - use a bit of common sense!

Does common sense come in a plastic bag??

[VBF]

8 minutes ago, Gandtee said:

Does common sense come in a plastic bag??

It's only available on special order! ?

[scorecard]

10 hours ago, starky said:

Should avoid making these big statements. Instead work for a few months actually doing something with quantifiable results then say we have started this campaign and so far achieved.....

 

 True, plus there should be some high profile display of alternatives on various national media including social media.

 

And should shops offer paper or cloth bags, but at a price?

 

 

[Bantex]

Even when buying products with their own handles (packs of bottled water, nappies) they still put them into plastic bags, I’ve told them that the bags aren’t needed but after a smile from staff they continue to use their bags. When I take reusable bags, some staff look for a barcode or price tag as they think I’m trying to buy it.

If I do actually manage to get them to use the bags I brought with me, then another problem occurs, security in supermarkets think I have not paid for the goods as it’s not in the shops plastic bags and everything is scrutinised against my receipt which takes time as we live in a remote area and do a large shop in the nearest large town once a month for non perishable goods.

I agree that some fresh produce requires its own small bag and sealed, meat, fish etc. but to then have to have each bagged item put into another carrier bag is ridiculous.

Only way to stop the number of bags being used is to charge for them.

 

 

[Gandtee]

26 minutes ago, VBF said:

It's only available on special order! ?

And only available to some it seems.?

[lvr181]

10 hours ago, Cadbury said:

This so called "declaration of war" on plastic bags has more to do with being seen to be doing something rather than actually doing anything positive. Nothing more than platitudinous waffle.

All ministers need to play this game from time to time to impress the PM and have him think they are doing their job effectively. 

The frequency of such displays is usually in direct proportion to their ineffectiveness as a Minister. 

Foot (i)n mouth disease is not just confined to animals! 

[balo]

What is the point in making big statements about this when the markets do not have any alternatives to plastic bags ? What about the Dutch invention of biodegredable bags , they need to import billions of it and offer it to all the stall owners, and customers need to pay maybe 10 baht extra.

[sambum]

40 minutes ago, Gandtee said:

Does common sense come in a plastic bag??

In your case you would probably need a Jumbo size! ? 

[balo]

https://encrypted-tbn2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRXgtuxk4jdg_a6WDkmpiIX2p4s4Tp7O8OZITd111R_D1qlsz40TubiLsM1

[scorecard]

12 minutes ago, Bantex said:

Even when buying products with their own handles (packs of bottled water, nappies) they still put them into plastic bags, I’ve told them that the bags aren’t needed but after a smile from staff they continue to use their bags. When I take reusable bags, some staff look for a barcode or price tag as they think I’m trying to buy it.

If I do actually manage to get them to use the bags I brought with me, then another problem occurs, security in supermarkets think I have not paid for the goods as it’s not in the shops plastic bags and everything is scrutinised against my receipt which takes time as we live in a remote area and do a large shop in the nearest large town once a month for non perishable goods.

I agree that some fresh produce requires its own small bag and sealed, meat, fish etc. but to then have to have each bagged item put into another carrier bag is ridiculous.

Only way to stop the number of bags being used is to charge for them.

 

 

"Even when buying products with their own handles (packs of bottled water, nappies) they still put them into plastic bags, I’ve told them that the bags aren’t needed but after a smile from staff they continue to use their bags. "   

 

Also heard of farang politely quietly telling the 7 staff 'tung mai ow khrap' (plastic bag not want khrap).

 

A waiting Thai customer said 'farang mai suparb'  (foreigner not polite).

 

It's going to take time.  

 

 

[scorecard]

2 minutes ago, balo said:

https://encrypted-tbn2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRXgtuxk4jdg_a6WDkmpiIX2p4s4Tp7O8OZITd111R_D1qlsz40TubiLsM1

Already available in Thailand for several years, made from corn stalks, leaves. 

[kannot]

They  just need  to declare war on themselves really before someone does it for them

[wgdanson]

6 hours ago, attrayant said:

 

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.

Were they not called PANIERS in the good old days...........bags to carry bread en Francais.

 

[lvr181]

16 minutes ago, wgdanson said:

Were they not called PANIERS in the good old days...........bags to carry bread en Francais.

 

AKA saddle bags?

[laocowboy2]

11 hours ago, leeneeds said:

Resistance to change,  convenience attitude, 

we all need to do a little more.

Just been in Philippines. In El Nido nearly every shop has switched to paper. Even in Angeles, about 30% paper bags. It can be done

[wvavin]

Millions of plastic bags big and smalls are being used everyday but the authority simply has no clue on how to eradicate this problem!