Thailand’s countdown to ban on single-use plastic bags

[rooster59]

Thailand’s countdown to ban on single-use plastic bags

supawadee wangsri

 

 

BANGKOK (NNT) - The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment is encouraging people to cut down on the single use of plastic materials and has disclosed the results of Suan Dusit Poll’s survey on the banning of single-use plastic bags in 2020.

 

The survey was conducted on over 2,000 respondents nationwide. According to the survey, 90 percent of the respondents agreed with the ban and some of them have already changed their consumer behavior. Most of them were aware of the government’s No Plastic campaign which will start on January 1, 2020, and supported the idea of using reusable bags. They also want the government to enforce a law to control use of plastic materials and approved the idea of having consumers pay for plastic bags.

 

The government has a road map for managing plastic waste from 2018-2030, aiming to reduce single-use plastics by 2022 by using environmentally friendly materials and the recycling of plastic waste by 2027. This will reduce the amount of plastic to be disposed of by about 780,000 tons per year, reduce the waste management budget by 3.9 billion baht per year and reduce the emission of carbon dioxide by 1.2 million tons.

 

-- © Copyright NNT 2019-12-15

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[Chazar]

4 minutes ago, rooster59 said:

reduce the emission of carbon dioxide by 1.2 million tons.

oh  thank  goodness......................dont  worry  about  the  filthy  lorries and souped  up thick  black  smoke  belching out  of  some boy  racer pick  ups

[ezzra]

I want to see what the fresh markets vendors and the street food sellers all over the country going to do now and how are they going to sell you the food? by bringing your own food containers from home?...

[impulse]

I'm forecasting some significant unintended consequences if they actually ban the bags. 

 

Seven + years living in Thailand I almost never had to buy plastic garbage bags to haul my kitchen scraps down to the complex's bins.  Because those "single use" bags I got at BigC, TESCO and other places were rarely ever used just once.  They were the perfect size for a day's worth of kitchen scraps.  Any longer interval and the contents used to go off in the BKK heat.

 

Thailand doesn't have a plastic bag problem.  Thailand has a solid waste management problem.  There's garbage dumped all over.  The plastic bags just last longer when they're dumped along with everything else.

 

 

 

[Pilotman]

22 minutes ago, impulse said:

I'm forecasting some significant unintended consequences if they actually ban the bags. 

 

Seven + years living in Thailand I almost never had to buy plastic garbage bags to haul my kitchen scraps down to the complex's bins.  Because those "single use" bags I got at BigC, TESCO and other places were rarely ever used just once.  They were the perfect size for a day's worth of kitchen scraps.  Any longer interval and the contents used to go off in the BKK heat.

 

Thailand doesn't have a plastic bag problem.  Thailand has a solid waste management problem.  There's garbage dumped all over.  The plastic bags just last longer when they're dumped along with everything else.

 

 

 

utter nonsense.  We all have a problem with plastic bags, which often end up in the oceans of the world. Do you even know that a plastic bag can take up to 1,000 years to decompose?  It's not just in Thailand, although here the ignorance of the damage being done clearly runs deep, it is worldwide problem. The Earth is drowning in the damn things and it is right that they should be banned. 

[z42]

1 hour ago, ezzra said:

I want to see what the fresh markets vendors and the street food sellers all over the country going to do now and how are they going to sell you the food? by bringing your own food containers from home?...

Good point Ezzra, I hope they get tough on that soon. This morning i saw the most ghastly thing ever, a super overloaded pickup full of those styrofoam boxes.

That said, the bag ban is wonderful. Hope it is persevered with and gets those who don't give a flying one inconvenienced so that they actually are forced to change.

 

Tough love is long overdue. Hope it's here to stay

[djayz]

Are they STILL counting down?!

[Yinn]

11 minutes ago, z42 said:

Good point Ezzra, I hope they get tough on that soon. This morning i saw the most ghastly thing ever, a super overloaded pickup full of those styrofoam boxes.

That said, the bag ban is wonderful. Hope it is persevered with and gets those who don't give a flying one inconvenienced so that they actually are forced to change.

 

Tough love is long overdue. Hope it's here to stay

The people are changing a lot now. 

 

Take a a look as this style market, is more popular every week.

 

Have the solution already...

 

 We can do it!

 

 

[Don Mega]

A good start would be not double bagging and put more than 3 items to a bag.

An I dont need 2 plastic straws for every drink I buy at the 7/11 either.

 

[Beggar]

39 minutes ago, Pilotman said:

utter nonsense.  We all have a problem with plastic bags, which often end up in the oceans of the world. Do you even know that a plastic bag can take up to 1,000 years to decompose? 

There are plastic bags that fall apart within a short time. Some shops used them before and when I wanted to reuse them after a while they simply fell apart. Recently on the beach here in Pattaya I looked at the garbage. Mostly empty small water bottles, some straws, parts of plastic fishing nets and other garbage. Almost no plastic bags. But I understand the garbage in the sea problem but I doubt that a plastic bag ban will solve it. Most of the bags come from developing countries with no recycling or even garbage collection. A lot of it comes for instance through the Ganges (according a documentary I saw). And if not even developed countries can't do garbage recycling or don't want to do it then this seems to be the first thing that needs to be addressed. 

[Deli]

So it's time to buy a pack of plastic bags at 7/11 for upcoming shoppings

[baansgr]

55 minutes ago, Pilotman said:

utter nonsense.  We all have a problem with plastic bags, which often end up in the oceans of the world. Do you even know that a plastic bag can take up to 1,000 years to decompose?  It's not just in Thailand, although here the ignorance of the damage being done clearly runs deep, it is worldwide problem. The Earth is drowning in the damn things and it is right that they should be banned. 

I do agree with you but I cant recall them having plastic bags at the Battle of Hastings so always wonder how anyone could proof they last 1,000 years

[ThaiBunny]

8 minutes ago, baansgr said:

I do agree with you but I cant recall them having plastic bags at the Battle of Hastings so always wonder how anyone could proof they last 1,000 years

They didn't have nuclear power stations either but the time it takes for uranium to degrade can readily be calculated

[Pilotman]

26 minutes ago, Beggar said:

There are plastic bags that fall apart within a short time. Some shops used them before and when I wanted to reuse them after a while they simply fell apart. Recently on the beach here in Pattaya I looked at the garbage. Mostly empty small water bottles, some straws, parts of plastic fishing nets and other garbage. Almost no plastic bags. But I understand the garbage in the sea problem but I doubt that a plastic bag ban will solve it. Most of the bags come from developing countries with no recycling or even garbage collection. A lot of it comes for instance through the Ganges (according a documentary I saw). And if not even developed countries can't do garbage recycling or don't want to do it then this seems to be the first thing that needs to be addressed. 

Kenya has not only banned the use of plastic bags but made it a criminal offence to use them.  So much for all developing countries being behind the drag curve.  It's the developed countries that are the problem here, 

 

https://www.dw.com/en/visiting-kenya-a-year-into-its-plastic-bag-ban/a-45254144

[riclag]

29 minutes ago, Don Mega said:

A good start would be not double bagging and put more than 3 items to a bag.

An I dont need 2 plastic straws for every drink I buy at the 7/11 either.

 

Those little carts parked on the sides of the soi, food vendors ! What shall they use for take away!

[Pilotman]

14 minutes ago, riclag said:

Those little carts parked on the sides of the soi, food vendors ! What shall they use for take away!

is it beyond the wit of man to provide your own container? 

[Don Mega]

32 minutes ago, riclag said:

Those little carts parked on the sides of the soi, food vendors ! What shall they use for take away!

Don't care, their rancid offerings belong in a trash can.

[Moonlover]

51 minutes ago, Deli said:

So it's time to buy a pack of plastic bags at 7/11 for upcoming shoppings

No, it's time to buy a cheap reusable bag from 7/11!

 

 I found it very encouraging recently when I visited a 7/11 in town that I don't normally use. I brought my 3 items to the checkout and once they'd been paid for I picked them up and walking out. (having smiled and said thank you of course)

 

There were no plastic bags at the checkout  and there was no offer of one, This is what's needed. As mentioned earlier, a bit of 'tough love'. 

[Oziex1]

I remember when we all doing just fine with paper bags. 

[jack7106]

3 hours ago, Pilotman said:

utter nonsense.  We all have a problem with plastic bags, which often end up in the oceans of the world. Do you even know that a plastic bag can take up to 1,000 years to decompose?  It's not just in Thailand, although here the ignorance of the damage being done clearly runs deep, it is worldwide problem. The Earth is drowning in the damn things and it is right that they should be banned. 

Please suggest a sustainable replacement ????????‍♂️????????????
Without cutting down trees as apparently they provide air for placating our greenhouse gases????????‍♂️????????????????????????

[Pilotman]

34 minutes ago, jack7106 said:

Please suggest a sustainable replacement ????????‍♂️????????????
Without cutting down trees as apparently they provide air for placating our greenhouse gases????????‍♂️????????????????????????

first choice are biodegradable bags, but they are expensive to produce and to buy, well relatively, at around 20 Baht per bag, This is deemed unacceptable;e by the idiots that rule us and by the short sighted and selfish consumer.  

[Pilotman]

It is unseeingly amazing that, judging by the 'confused' and 'sad' emojis on this post, that the banning of the highly damaging plastic bag gets such a negative response from many on this and other forums.  As the great saying goes: "there are none so blind as those that will not see".  Surely this must be the most selfish, short sighted and ignorant generation of humans that ever walked the Earth. 

[kevinmartyn]

Thailand is NOT a leader but a follower and on occasion 20 years later.

 

I'm here in Africa and they have had a ban on plastic for some time!

 

I have been here several weeks and upon arrival was told to remove the plastic wrap from my case!

 

Really Thailand needs to wake up and break open its cocoon and take note of the world????????????

[Pilotman]

2 minutes ago, kevinmartyn said:

Thailand is NOT a leader but a follower and on occasion 20 years later.

 

I'm here in Africa and they have had a ban on plastic for some time!

 

I have been here several weeks and upon arrival was told to remove the plastic wrap from my case!

 

Really Thailand needs to wake up and break open its cocoon and take note of the world????????????

very well  said Sir. 

[Moonlover]

31 minutes ago, Pilotman said:

It is unseeingly amazing that, judging by the 'confused' and 'sad' emojis on this post, that the banning of the highly damaging plastic bag gets such a negative response from many on this and other forums.  As the great saying goes: "there are none so blind as those that will not see".  Surely this must be the most selfish, short sighted and ignorant generation of humans that ever walked the Earth. 

Very well said sir! And we, as a species, will eventually pay the ultimate price for our shortsightedness unless and until the younger generations 'grasp the mettle'.

 

Barack Obama was absolutely correct in the speech he recently made at a youth leaders conference in Kuala Lumpur.

 

“Old people are not going to worry about this as much as young people because they’re going to be gone when the full effects of this will come. So you’re going to have more urgency and educate your communities.”

 

And your comments regarding the attitude of the TVF community clearly demonstrates that.

 

https://forum.thaivisa.com/topic/1138558-moral-call-to-rest-of-the-world-on-climate-from-hardest-hit-countries-obama-says/?tab=comments#comment-14854853

 

 

[Pilotman]

3 minutes ago, secondfusilier said:

 

It's glaringly obvious what the answer is but most politicians ignore it.

HEMP.

 

Is there any problem this wonderful plant can't fix?

 

 

yes, it can't fix world politics and politicians. 

[hotchilli]

5 hours ago, impulse said:

Thailand doesn't have a plastic bag problem.  Thailand has a solid waste management problem.  There's garbage dumped all over.  The plastic bags just last longer when they're dumped along with everything else.

Ridiculous comment to make.

[Monomial]

Just a data point for everyone. When shopping for hardware I have now switched my allegiance from Thai Watsadu to Mega Home. Thai Watsadu no longer gives out plastic bags. When I went through the checkout line and paid at Mega Home and was given a nice, convenient plastic bag, I mentioned to the checkout girl how convenient this was and that I had stopped shopping at Thai Watsadu down the road because they would no longer supply me a bag.

 

She told me that many people had expressed that same sentiment over the last few weeks.

 

For all who think "no bag" is an answer to plastic bags, think again. Customers are not going to be happy with this, and as long as there is at least one retailer who puts customer convenience above profits, people will switch.

 

Biodegradable bags or paper, sure. You'll get my support. But "no bag"?  That isn't an answer. That's nothing more than a money grab by greedy retailers who do not deserve my business.

 

 

[revup]

6 hours ago, rooster59 said:

reduce the emission of carbon dioxide by 1.2 million tons.

You may be unaware that building a condominium from concrete releases around 10 percent of its mass as CO2 during the concrete curing process. Why not limit the construction of these empty towers and make some real gains on the CO2 account?

[Gandtee]

7 hours ago, ezzra said:

I want to see what the fresh markets vendors and the street food sellers all over the country going to do now and how are they going to sell you the food? by bringing your own food containers from home?...

Why not. Bring back the tiffin containers.