Charging for plastic bags in Thailand?

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oakdale160
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Charging for plastic bags in Thailand?

Post by oakdale160 »

I see that in the UK the use of plastic bags has dropped anastounding 70-80% since it is mandatory for big stores toncharbnge 5p for each one. Could it happen here NAAAAAAGH!
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Re: plastic bags

Post by HHTel »

Maybe it's something that should be brought up in ASEAN as a large part of asia have already banned, taxed or restricted their use. India and Myanmar have banned them altogether with Malaysia enforcing taxes on their use. General Prayut Cha-cha-cha-cha could force this issue instead of the laughable edicts that he regularly comes up with! Plastic bags are seen floating around the country wherever you go. Locals throw bags of half eaten food etc everywhere, even when there is a bin in spitting distance. They have no respect for their own environment.

7-11 shops are the worst. They will put a single small item in a bag unless you tell them otherwise.
Will it ever change? Certainly not voluntarily.
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Re: plastic bags

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I think most Farang will agree 100%. I've just come back from Tesco with 2 bottles of milk, 2 bottles of coke, 1 bottle of toilet cleaner (maybe we should be using the coke), 1 small pack of dried fish and a small bag of garlic. That was packed into 7 bags. The crying shame about Tesco bags is they are so weak, they are not even suitable for re-use.

Now, I've watched them in 7-11. I rarely buy more than a bottle of orange for immediate consumption i.e. take the top off and drink straight from the bottle. However, everytime they put it in a little bag and include a cellophane wrapped straw. I've often thought, "What a waste." Then it dawned on me, this is a level of service that Thais have come to expect, and I am merely being treat like another Thai. I find it a pain having to keep a plastic bag and a straw in my pocket until I've finished my drink. I then put the bottle inside the bag with the unused cellophane straw, tie the top and put it in the nearest bin. 10 minutes later, a recycling person comes along, rips the bag off the bottle and takes the bottle to be recycled.

Likewise if we order a pizza. OK, we expect a pizza to arrive in a little cardboard container, but what about the 20 sachets of tomato sauce, and the 20 cellophane packs of mixed herbs? Oh, and yes, it is delivered in a plastic bag to keep it all together. Now, I don't know how much tomato sauce goes into a sachet, but surely a small recyclable bottle of tomato sauce and a small recyclable pot of herbs would make more sense. Now, we've always got a bottle of ketchup and a container of mixed herbs on the go, so why not have a small tick box on the order form - include herbs, include sauce. We just have a large box of sauce and herb sachets that we never use, which is raided from time to time by my granddaughters. Total waste, but again is this a level of service expected by Thais (and maybe Farangs alike)?

I could go on. However, I guess it all comes down to which stage of the process I posted yesterday it's at e.g. is it mai pen rai, do as the Brits do or something else?
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Re: Charging for plastic bags in Thailand?

Post by buksida »

Not to gripe but - western governments have figured out the scourge of plastic years ago and are now taking measures to reduce it. Asian governments dont seem to give a rats arse about the environment and are more concerned with tightening their grip on control and power.

:rant:

Edit: those that are genuinely passionate about these issues should join these guys: https://www.facebook.com/trashherohuahin/

Edit2: 7-Eleven = 2 million straws per day given out, 10 million plastic bags PER DAY - this shop alone does immeasurable damage to the environment: http://ilefthome.com/7-eleven-suffocati ... d-plastic/
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Re: Charging for plastic bags in Thailand?

Post by HHTel »

buksida wrote:Not to gripe but - western governments have figured out the scourge of plastic years ago and are now taking measures to reduce it. Asian governments dont seem to give a rats arse about the environment and are more concerned with tightening their grip on control and power.

:rant:

Edit: those that are genuinely passionate about these issues should join these guys: https://www.facebook.com/trashherohuahin/
I beg to differ Buksi. Many countries in Asia have taken steps including:

Bangladesh
China
Hong Kong
India
Indonesia
Israel
Malaysia
Myanmar
Taiwan.

Restrictions vary from a tax levied to a total ban. India for example are banned from even producing plastic bags!

Easy when living in Thailand to assume that all governments in the region are of the same mind.
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Re: Charging for plastic bags in Thailand?

Post by buksida »

HHTel wrote: I beg to differ Buksi. Many countries in Asia have taken steps.
Indonesia is the second in the world only to China for plastic waste, not really sure where you're getting your info from there.

Roughly 8 million tons of plastic is dumped into the world's oceans every year, and according to a new study, the majority of this waste comes from just five countries: China, Indonesia, the Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam. http://www.ecowatch.com/these-5-countri ... 07531.html
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Re: plastic bags

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Big Boy wrote:I think most Farang will agree 100%. I've just come back from Tesco with 2 bottles of milk, 2 bottles of coke, 1 bottle of toilet cleaner (maybe we should be using the coke), 1 small pack of dried fish and a small bag of garlic. That was packed into 7 bags. The crying shame about Tesco bags is they are so weak, they are not even suitable for re-use.

Now, I've watched them in 7-11. I rarely buy more than a bottle of orange for immediate consumption i.e. take the top off and drink straight from the bottle. However, everytime they put it in a little bag and include a cellophane wrapped straw. I've often thought, "What a waste." Then it dawned on me, this is a level of service that Thais have come to expect, and I am merely being treat like another Thai. I find it a pain having to keep a plastic bag and a straw in my pocket until I've finished my drink. I then put the bottle inside the bag with the unused cellophane straw, tie the top and put it in the nearest bin. 10 minutes later, a recycling person comes along, rips the bag off the bottle and takes the bottle to be recycled.
So why don't you do something about it yourself when you are there at the counter? I'm not having a go but you could certainly sort a whole lot of this out on your own I would think. Double bag the stuff at Tesco so that more can be loaded with fewer bags over all (4 bags instead of 7?). At the 7/11 just grab the orange drink and say no thank you to the straw.

If the staff can't figure it out (and they never do as they are not trained nor think that way) then I just do it for them while I'm there. I get some puzzled looks at times but I don't care about that.

Cheers!
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Re: Charging for plastic bags in Thailand?

Post by Big Boy »

I would love to take my own bags into Tesco, but it isn't allowed - you have to leave them at customer service.

As for the rest of it, I have tried, but I'm considered a trouble maker if I do - I think I'm at the Stage 4 of Cultural Shock in this matter.
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Re: Charging for plastic bags in Thailand?

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buksida wrote:
HHTel wrote: I beg to differ Buksi. Many countries in Asia have taken steps.
Indonesia is the second in the world only to China for plastic waste, not really sure where you're getting your info from there.

Roughly 8 million tons of plastic is dumped into the world's oceans every year, and according to a new study, the majority of this waste comes from just five countries: China, Indonesia, the Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam. http://www.ecowatch.com/these-5-countri ... 07531.html
Bangladesh
A strict ban was introduced in Bangladesh in 2002 after floods caused by littered plastic bags submerged two-thirds of the country in water between 1988 and 1998. Plastic bags remain a big problem for sewerage system and waterways.

China
A total plastic bag ban on ultra thin plastic bags and a fee on plastic bags was introduced in China on June 1, 2008. This came into effect because of the problems with sewerage and general waste. One 2009 survey suggests that plastic bag use fell between 60 and 80% in Chinese supermarkets, and 40 billion fewer bags were used. However, first hand accounts suggest the ban has seen limited success, and that the use of plastic bags remains prevalent. Street vendors and smaller stores, which make up a significant portion of retail in China, do not abide by the policy in part due to difficulties of enforcing the ban.

Hong Kong
Hong Kong forbids retailers from giving plastic bags under a certain thickness and for free. A $50 cents plastic bag levy was implemented on 1 April 2015 across Hong Kong. The use of plastic bags dropped 90% after the introduction of the levy. Signs show that Hong Kong is phasing out the use of plastic bags at a dramatic rate.

India
In 2002, India banned the production of plastic bags below 20 µm in thickness to prevent plastic bags from clogging of the municipal drainage systems and to prevent the cows of India ingesting plastic bags as they confuse it for food. However, enforcement remains a problem.

In 2016, Sikkim, India's first fully organic state,[25] banned the use of not only packaged drinking water bottles in any government meetings or functions but also food containers made from polystyrene foam all over the state.[26]

Himachal Pradesh was the first state to ban plastic bags less than 30 µm. The Karnataka state became first state to ban all forms of plastic carry bags, plastic banners, plastic buntings, flex, plastic flags, plastic plates, plastic cups, plastic spoons, cling films and plastic sheets for spreading on dining tables irrespective of thickness including the above items made of thermacol and plastic which uses plastic micro beads.[27][28] The state of Goa has banned bags up to 40 µm thick,[29] while the city of Mumbai bans bags below a minimum thickness to 50 µm.

Indonesia
Starting in 2016, Environment Ministry enforced retailers in 23 cities across the archipelago (mini-market, hypermarket, and supermarket) to charge consumers for plastic bags between Rp.500,- and Rp.2.000,- for each bag including degradable plastic bags. And money which came from tax are used by retailers as public funds for waste management alongside non-governmental organizations.

Israel
In 2008 a bill imposing a charge on plastic bags passed through the first reading in the Knesset but did not become a law. The average use of plastic bags in Israel in 2014 was 275 per person per year.

Malaysia
Malaysia enforce taxes on plastic bags on every Saturday since 2011 in state of Selangor.

However, in Penang, taxes on plastic bags applies everyday.

Myanmar
In 2009, plastic bag factories in Rangoon were ordered by local authorities to stop production by the end of November or face heavy punishment, as the Burmese government looked to ban plastic bags. Rangoon was thus following in the footsteps of central Burma's Mandalay and the new capital Naypyidaw, both of which had eliminated plastic bags.

Taiwan
In January 2003, Taiwan banned the free distribution of lightweight plastic bags. The ban prevented the owners of department stores, shopping malls, hypermarkets, convenience stores, fast food restaurants and regular restaurants from providing free plastic bags to their customers. Many stores have replaced plastic with recycled paper boxes. In 2006, however, the administration decided to begin allowing free plastic bags to be offered by food service operators.

Source: Wiki
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Re: Charging for plastic bags in Thailand?

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Doesn't dispute the fact that 60% of the plastic in the ocean comes from 5 Asian countries.

Instead of being argumentative for the sake of it why not be a hero and help out: https://www.facebook.com/trashherohuahin/

:idea:
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Re: Charging for plastic bags in Thailand?

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It's not just the bags, but the damn foam boxes as well which probably take much longer than a bag to decompose.

A small, helpful solution is to take your own stackable tupperware boxes when you order take-out. They can be bought in a tower of four with a plastic carrying strap, or metal fasteners. Many styles out there. Pete :cheers:
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Re: Charging for plastic bags in Thailand?

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Buksi, I'm not arguing for the sake of arguing. I was reacting to your comment that all Asian governments don't give a toss and therefore are doing nothing. The fact is that some are taking steps and credit where it's due, although enforcement is another problem.
Tackling plastic bags is not the whole solution but it's a good start. Lots of plastic products are thrown away as waste. A goo example is plastic bottles which are much easier to recycle.

I'm absolutely against plastic bags and refuse them when they are unnecessary. Plastic bags I collect are burnt with the garden rubbish. Plastic bottles and other plastic products are bagged and sent to the recycling centre. You will never find plastic of any kind in my rubbish.

Yes, I am doing my bit and I would fully support ANY steps to tackle the problem in Thailand but I'm not holding my breath.
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Re: Charging for plastic bags in Thailand?

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^^ The ban in China has had a "limited effect" to say the least - from what I saw it was only the large chain stores (and of those mostly foreign owned) that actually took any notice of the ban.
There's a ridiculous amount of plastic waste.

As an aside (and not wanting to hijack the thread), whilst the ban on plastic bags in the UK has certainly had very positive results, there's also been another story in the news lately. That of the takeaway coffee cups from the likes of Starbucks etc. are not being recycled - the amount of these cups thrown away on a daily basis in the UK alone is incredible....... and all sent to landfill :banghead:
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Re: Charging for plastic bags in Thailand?

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Can Southeast Asia stop dumping plastic waste in our oceans?
New research shows that plastic waste in our oceans is far worse than previously thought, and Southeast Asian nations are among the worst offenders.

Unfortunately, Southeast Asia’s statistics in this area do not make for comfortable reading. Of the top ten countries responsible for plastic waste entering the ocean, five are in our region. Surya Chandak, a senior programme officer at the United Nations Environment Programme, cites the region’s growing economies and populations as prime culprits. “With the change in lifestyle and increasing affluence the use of plastic in these countries is growing. Correspondingly, the segregation, recycling and recovery of plastic waste has not kept pace with this growth,” he said.

On Jambeck’s roll call of shame, following clear ‘winner’ China, Indonesia is the highest-ranked Southeast Asian nation, in second place, with a total of 3.22 million metric tonnes of mismanaged plastic waste produced every year, of which up to 1.29 million tonnes is calculated to end up in the ocean. Next comes the Philippines in third, Vietnam in fourth, Thailand in sixth and Malaysia in eighth.

http://sea-globe.com/plastic-waste-sout ... sia-globe/
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Re: Charging for plastic bags in Thailand?

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Nobody is disputing the problems of plastic waste in our oceans. The thread is about plastic bags which is not the main cause of plastic pollution. There are more reasons for getting rid of plastic bags than reducing pollution in the oceans. The reason that some of the controls restrict the use of plastic bags below a certain thickness is for a different reason. Plastic bags cannot be recycled because machinery gets clogged and is not up to such thin plastic. Bags clog up drains and filters unlike other plastic waste. Plastic bags are responsible for killing marine life in our rivers and have on occasion suffocated children. Tackling the plastic in our oceans is a much much bigger problem. Let's get rid of the plastic bags which are a danger to our local environment and make people aware. The bigger problem needs a much more aggressive approach than plastic bags!
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