Plastic Bags in Thailand

[30la]

1 minute ago, Scott Tracy said:

The Thai government hasn't banned them yet. I understand that will come in next January...

...or never...

[Captain 776]

I full support this.

We keep 5-6 reusable shopping bags in the pouch on the back of front seat in car.

We were using them before the plastic ban.

 

I am not a tree hugging environmentalist but I fully support banning plastics.

I am a ship Captain and can attest to the FACT how muc plastic of all kn es up in the ocean.

Ever been to Manila habor? Google Manila harbor pollution.......click images

[Max69xl]

22 hours ago, thasoss said:

takes time i guess,but this decision is way ahead of western countries i think

 

Really? Western countries knows there are no good alternative, so far. The plastic bags you get in convenience stores like 7/11 or Tesco is not the problem. It's the rest of the plastic c**p you get when buying stuff: Straws, spoons,forks, styrofoam containers,coffee mug lids etc etc. 

[MikeN]

21 hours ago, allane said:

I used to use 7-11/Tesco-Lotus bags for household garbage. Now, as soon as my accumulated supply runs out, I am going to have to buy garbage bags at the supermarket. I am not precisely sure how this will help the environment.

"Single use" plastic bags ? They weren't single use here. But they soon will be.

If you have an “accumulated supply” of bags then obviously you were being given far more than you need  for garbage....not surprising when on average every person was given eight plastic bags per day.

 Your bought garbage bags will be used as intended, not discarded on the street to float around on the wind so surely that will help the environment?

 And of course you could always shop at a mom and pop place and accumulate more bags as they are not part of this voluntary agreement and can still give away bags until it becomes law next year.

[cortez]

why? it's stupid. it's all a scam to make more money. plastic bags given at the shop have dual use, now you have to buy garbage bags.  thank god 7/11 give you plastic bags if you have more than 4 items. I'm buying more stuff there now, at least can get my garbage bags that way.  and please don't tell me it will help save the environment, do some research first...

[chatette]

No longer handing out plastic bags at the check out is a good first step but converting all packaging back to cardboard would be a very bad step for forests!

[joebrown]

No one has even mentioned the packaging of potato/corn chips sold all over the world. It really pi$$e$ me off to buy a 20bht bag of crisps and then find I've just bought 10bhts worth of 'fresh air' with very little else inside! What a waste of resources that's then added to the pollution problem.

[rech]

 

so you are now happy to buy your bin plastic bags and bring more revenues to all the scammers ?

people are so smart, what a wonderful world <3

 

 

[rech]

On 1/8/2020 at 4:13 PM, allane said:

I used to use 7-11/Tesco-Lotus bags for household garbage. Now, as soon as my accumulated supply runs out, I am going to have to buy garbage bags at the supermarket. I am not precisely sure how this will help the environment.

"Single use" plastic bags ? They weren't single use here. But they soon will be.

 

This is the only truth and it is so funny that so few of us can see it...

 

 

[Just Weird]

On 1/8/2020 at 12:49 PM, thasoss said:

Would like to congratulate the thai government on banning plastic bags

Plastic bags have not been banned!

[rech]

1 hour ago, cortez said:

why? it's stupid. it's all a scam to make more money. plastic bags given at the shop have dual use, now you have to buy garbage bags.  thank god 7/11 give you plastic bags if you have more than 4 items. I'm buying more stuff there now, at least can get my garbage bags that way.  and please don't tell me it will help save the environment, do some research first...

 

We are 3 with a working brain now !

 

 

[rickudon]

The larger shops will not really 'make money' out of not providing free bags those bags cost about 20 satang. The markup on each item sold is far more than that.

 

In the west plastic bag use started to be discouraged in most countries 20 years ago. if you reused a bag, you got a penny off or points on your loyalty card in the UK. Free carrier bags were ended about 10-15 years ago (country dependent). You soon learn.

 

It is now moving on to bans on plastic straws, plastic sticks in cotton buds and improved recycling. Thailand will catch up - eventually.

 

Replacing plastic bottles with glass is not a good idea as the weight increases fuel for transport costs, and is only worthwhile if the bottles are reused, not recycled. Thailand has a pretty good plastic bottle recycling rate - but it could be better.

 

It is true that not all alternatives are better - paper costs more and releases more CO2 - but at least it biodegrades easily and is renewable. As said, the problems are poor waste management and not caring.

 

I have 4 reusable bags in the car, and also carry a small fabric bag in my pocket (although this is on it's last legs, after over 15 years of use). 

 

My main gripe is all the heavy duty packaging - you cannot even open a crisp bag without scissors!

[HHTel]

I'll say it again for all those posters who don't read or research. To all those that point out that they use these 'single use' bags for other things.

'Single use' plastic bags is a convenient name for bags made with plastic less than 36 microns thick.  It's not about how many times it's used.  No matter how many times it's used, it's still thin plastic that can't be recycled and more often than not finish up as litter, in the klongs, into the sea.........

[theonetrueaussie]

14 hours ago, HHTel said:

I'll say it again for all those posters who don't read or research. To all those that point out that they use these 'single use' bags for other things.

'Single use' plastic bags is a convenient name for bags made with plastic less than 36 microns thick.  It's not about how many times it's used.  No matter how many times it's used, it's still thin plastic that can't be recycled and more often than not finish up as litter, in the klongs, into the sea.........

what's your point the REUSABLE cloth and other bags need to be used 1000-7000 times before they are BETTER then the single use plastic.....how many people reuse them that many times....no one i bet so you are doing even more damage to the environment for what.....

[narisarasgroove]

According to what I have read it is only the major store chains that are subject to this new ruling about plastic bags but they are saying that by the end of 2020 it will most likely apply to all stores and markets etc.

We have a rice shop and use plastic bags of various sizes for customers who want anything from 1 to 15 kilos (one tang) of rice. If the ban comes into effect for all we can think of no suitable alternative that is locally available for our customers. Paper bags would almost certainly be no good (and where would they be found) for anything more than, at a guess, 5 kilos and during the wet season and when the humidity is high would most likely become even weaker. I can foresee similar problems for other small traders with similar products.

I cannot see customers bringing their own packaging for more than 1 or 2 kilos as many find it just too heavy to carry far (especially the older generation) which is why we deliver larger loads locally.

I am not saying that cutting down on the use of plastic is not a good thing but as usual the rules seems to have been made as a knee-jerk reaction without any thought to alternatives for customers and for traders.

My wife also tells me that the gov had an agreement with the plastic bag manufacturers about the date this was supposed to be implemented which they then, without consultation, brought way forward. As a result the factories have ben caught left-footed and unprepared, lost business, and been forced to close laying off scores if not hundreds of workers.

 

[kingofthemountain]

17 minutes ago, narisarasgroove said:

According to what I have read it is only the major store chains that are subject to this new ruling about plastic bags but they are saying that by the end of 2020 it will most likely apply to all stores and markets etc.

We have a rice shop and use plastic bags of various sizes for customers who want anything from 1 to 15 kilos (one tang) of rice. If the ban comes into effect for all we can think of no suitable alternative that is locally available for our customers. Paper bags would almost certainly be no good (and where would they be found) for anything more than, at a guess, 5 kilos and during the wet season and when the humidity is high would most likely become even weaker. I can foresee similar problems for other small traders with similar products.

I cannot see customers bringing their own packaging for more than 1 or 2 kilos as many find it just too heavy to carry far (especially the older generation) which is why we deliver larger loads locally.

I am not saying that cutting down on the use of plastic is not a good thing but as usual the rules seems to have been made as a knee-jerk reaction without any thought to alternatives for customers and for traders.

My wife also tells me that the gov had an agreement with the plastic bag manufacturers about the date this was supposed to be implemented which they then, without consultation, brought way forward. As a result the factories have ben caught left-footed and unprepared, lost business, and been forced to close laying off scores if not hundreds of workers.

 

I get your point but i have one question

(And it could be the answer at your problem)

What kind of containers was used to store and transport the rice before the plastic ones?

[narisarasgroove]

1 hour ago, kingofthemountain said:

I get your point but i have one question

(And it could be the answer at your problem)

What kind of containers was used to store and transport the rice before the plastic ones?

Good question, well presented, deserves a sensible answer. Unfortunately I don't have one. I have however thought of just that myself and have yet to dig much more and actually find out.

I would say however that times change and what may have been good many years ago may not be such a smart idea these days. For instance, when I was young in UK most shopping was done on a daily basis walking to the nearest shops and one string bag or suchlike was enough for a visit to the greengrocers and the butchers. These days with huge malls, supermarkets, and suchlike that style is just no longer an option. Also it may be that whatever was used then may not be readily available now. I just don't know yet. 

If I find out I will let you know.

 

[HHTel]

8 hours ago, theonetrueaussie said:

what's your point the REUSABLE cloth and other bags need to be used 1000-7000 times before they are BETTER then the single use plastic.....how many people reuse them that many times....no one i bet so you are doing even more damage to the environment for what.....

My point is that 'single use bags' or thin plastic cannot be recycled, certainly not in Thailand, as special equipment is required which doesn't exist here.

Consequently, these bags, more often than not, finish up as 'litter' to be blown around wherever, into klongs and then into the sea.  Once into the sea they harm the marine life.  My god, there is plenty of evidence of that.

I thought I'd made that quite clear if you can read English.

 

from my previous post:

 

23 hours ago, HHTel said:

'Single use' plastic bags is a convenient name for bags made with plastic less than 36 microns thick.  It's not about how many times it's used.  No matter how many times it's used, it's still thin plastic that can't be recycled and more often than not finish up as litter, in the klongs, into the sea........

Clear now?

[HHTel]

7 hours ago, kingofthemountain said:

I get your point but i have one question

(And it could be the answer at your problem)

What kind of containers was used to store and transport the rice before the plastic ones?

Back in the 50's, loose produce like rice and sugar to name two, were delivered in Hessian sacks.  The retailer would measure the amount for the customer and place in a paper bag.

In my schooldays, I had a part time job after school doing just that.  Measuring sugar into blue paper bags for sale in the shop.

[Max69xl]

8 minutes ago, HHTel said:

My point is that 'single use bags' or thin plastic cannot be recycled, certainly not in Thailand, as special equipment is required which doesn't exist here.

Consequently, these bags, more often than not, finish up as 'litter' to be blown around wherever, into klongs and then into the sea.  Once into the sea they harm the marine life.  My god, there is plenty of evidence of that.

I thought I'd made that quite clear if you can read English.

 

from my previous post:

 

Clear now?

There are much more plastic stuff in the nature and in the sea compared to the biggest plastic bags you used to get at 7/11 and Tesco. Who is talking about recycling plastic bags which is used as trash bags? Now we have to buy garbage bags instead. 

[Max69xl]

5 minutes ago, HHTel said:

Back in the 50's, loose produce like rice and sugar to name two, were delivered in Hessian sacks.  The retailer would measure the amount for the customer and place in a paper bag.

In my schooldays, I had a part time job after school doing just that.  Measuring sugar into blue paper bags for sale in the shop.

Caster sugar, for example, has always been sold in paper bags where I come from.  

[HHTel]

7 minutes ago, Max69xl said:

There are much more plastic stuff in the nature and in the sea compared to the biggest plastic bags you used to get at 7/11 and Tesco. Who is talking about recycling plastic bags which is used as trash bags? Now we have to buy garbage bags instead. 

I agree that there is much more to the pollution in the sea.  However, we're talking about the welfare of marine life. In fact, most marine life that has been killed by ingesting plastic proves to be the thin plastic along with microplatics.  Sure, other pollutants such as thicker plastics, for example, will eventually break down into microplastics but will take hundreds of years. 

[petedk]

Quote

And why not change packaging in supermarkets, and go back to  old fashioned cardboard.

Anyone else agree?

Entirely.

 

I remember when I was a kid, we did shopping at the local supermarket. There were no plastic bags, but a huge pile of cardboard boxes (the ones used to deliver the goods to the supermarket). We just found one or two suitable boxes and put the goods in there.

 

I often see boxes folded up, ready to be sold, outside the supermarkets. Why not let the customers use them? 

[kingofthemountain]

2 hours ago, petedk said:

Entirely.

 

I remember when I was a kid, we did shopping at the local supermarket. There were no plastic bags, but a huge pile of cardboard boxes (the ones used to deliver the goods to the supermarket). We just found one or two suitable boxes and put the goods in there.

 

I often see boxes folded up, ready to be sold, outside the supermarkets. Why not let the customers use them? 

The thais sell them

someone is doing money with it

so they are not ready at all to let the customers use them for free

[petedk]

19 hours ago, kingofthemountain said:

The thais sell them

someone is doing money with it

so they are not ready at all to let the customers use them for free

Yes I realise that.

 

On the other hand the scrap cardboard is sold for something like 20 baht per kilo. They could charge 2 or 3 baht per box and make a bigger profit.

[Max69xl]

On 1/14/2020 at 8:30 AM, petedk said:

Entirely.

 

I remember when I was a kid, we did shopping at the local supermarket. There were no plastic bags, but a huge pile of cardboard boxes (the ones used to deliver the goods to the supermarket). We just found one or two suitable boxes and put the goods in there.

 

I often see boxes folded up, ready to be sold, outside the supermarkets. Why not let the customers use them? 

You want to go to back 50-60 years in time and carry around food and other stuff in cardboard boxes instead of using a bag with handles? On top of that, driving a bike while carrying a reused cardboard box isn't that easy, either.  

[HHTel]

When I was an errand boy with the Co-op many moons ago. Orders were packed in cardboard boxes which I then had to load on the carrier of my push-bike for delivery to the customer.

[billd766]

On 1/9/2020 at 9:01 AM, Jaxxper said:

Buy biodegradable bags for your rubbish. Simples.

Too simple for some on here.

[billd766]

2 hours ago, Max69xl said:

You want to go to back 50-60 years in time and carry around food and other stuff in cardboard boxes instead of using a bag with handles? On top of that, driving a bike while carrying a reused cardboard box isn't that easy, either.  

Out here in rural Khampaeng Phet I often see motorbikes with a 25 kg sack of rice, charcoal, even the standard cooking gas bottles on them.

 

Of course they are only stupid Thais and don't realise that it not possible carry stuff like that because it seems, farangs have a problem carrying a cardboard box on a motorbike.

[Max69xl]

1 hour ago, billd766 said:

Too simple for some on here.

It would have been smarter if convenient stores had choosen this option and gone for biodegradable shopping bags. Especially Tesco Lotus which sells these bags. They could have added 1 baht/bag easily,and no one would have argued about it.