Tips for recycling and reducing plastic use in Thailand

[Ginjaninja]

And on a Sarawakian beach nearby......

[PeteC]

It makes you want to cry, it really does.

[PeteC]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articl ... ics-action

David Attenborough video below


https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p06bsx63/

[PeteC]

Progress and good news if the numbers are true.

169 million plastic bags left unused at Thai 7-Elevens in just two months
Breaking News February 12, 2019 21:00

http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/ ... s/30363999

More than 169 million plastic bags have been left unused at Thailand’s 7-Eleven stores in the past two months – more than Bt33 million in value alone, but also a huge amount of single-use plastic not making its way into the environment.

CP All, the sole operator of 7-Eleven convenience stores in the Kingdom, last year announced its intention to reduce and, eventually, to eliminate the use of single-use plastic bags at all its stores throughout the country.

The savings, some Bt33,810,945, will now be donated to Siriraj Hospital. The campaign has been supported by Artiwara “Toon” Kongmalai, the lead singer of Bodyslam and marathon runner, who ran from Thailand’s south to north in a massive fund-raiser last year. So, say ‘no’ (politely) to plastic bags, or take your own re-useable bag when next visiting a convenience store.

[handdrummer]

What will be done with the bags that weren't used? I'll refrain from cynicism.

[PeteC]

A few interesting items here. Yes, one may seem small but I would think they come in different sizes. Anyway, people are thinking and inventing.

https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2018/08/ ... e-a-roomba


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[youtube][youtube]

[PeteC]

Concerning the above which I failed to mention, people don't (in most cases) drive along a beach road and throw their trash into the sea. It washes down drainage ditches>streams>rivers into the sea. I'm not sure if the above article or another I read today states that 90% + of the garbage in the sea comes from 10 main rivers in the world.

That huge floating boom they towed into the Pacific garbage patch has at the moment failed and is in for a re-design.

Cleaning up things close to the source before it gets into the sea is the key IMO. Pete

[laphanphon]

Surprise surprise ..... either that, or someone brought it down from Krung Thep, as having chains there. If not, then Krung Thep dumped in the gulf, you know, just on one of them barge loads.........and all things come back, sooner or later....LOL

11/62 Hua Hin 43 alley, Phetchakasem Road ...."Kyoto matcha is now available" ชาเขียวอูจิจากเกียวโตมีให้บริการแล้วครับ #

[laphanphon]

Marine debris – a global overview
Ten countries generating the highest amounts |of marine debris on average annually (as of 2010)

1 China 3.53 million tonnes
2 Indonesia 1.29 million tonnes
3 Philippines 0.75 million tonnes
4 Vietnam 0.73 million tonnes
5 Sri Lanka 0.64 million tonnes
6 Egypt 0.39 million tonnes
7 Thailand 0.41 million tonnes
8 Malaysia 0.37 million tonnes
9 Nigeria 0.34 million tonnes
10 Bangladesh 0.31 million tonnes

National overview
Ten Thai provinces generating the largest amount of marine debris in 2018

1 Prachuap Khiri Khan 23,600 pieces ...Hua Hin making us look bad
2 Samut Prakan 7,900 pieces
3 Songkhla 4,000 pieces
4 Pattani 2,600 pieces
5 Nakhon Si Thammarat 2,600 pieces
6 Bangkok 2,500 pieces
7 Phuket 2,000 pieces
8 Phetchaburi 2,000 pieces
9 Narathiwat 1,800 pieces
10 Chonburi 1,200 pieces
http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/ ... l/30365186

[Big Boy]

When they say 'generating marine debris' what exactly does that mean please? What exactly have I got to do to stop doing this heinous thing? When Prachuap Khiri Khan generates a piece of marine debris what exactly is happening?

I find it hard to believe that Prachuap Khiri Khan is generating almost 10 times the amount of Bangkok, but unless somebody can explain what is being generated, and more importantly, how it is being generated, the figures are totally meaningless to me.

Thai statistics rarely mean very much to me.

[Edit] These stats are really bothering me. I keep jumping back to them. Who is measuring the problem? If they can be so accurate in measurement, why don't they just name and shame the culprits so that the problem can be stopped as source. Prachuap Khiri Khan is a big place. To come up with a figure like 23,600 pieces, there are obviously either a lot of people measuring this waste (one wonders why they are measuring and not clearing), or there a couple of prime sites producing the rubbish. laphanphon you say it's Hua Hin making the province look bad - please expand.

[Nereus]

Govt bids to recycle all plastics by 2030

https://www.bangkokpost.com/news/genera ... recent_box

Thailand will recycle all its locally produced plastic waste by 2030, National Resources and Environment Minister Surasak Kanjanarat announced in a regional forum on waste management on Monday.

"The government has a clear stance on plastic waste because of its harmful effects to the environment, especially marine habitats," he said. "We had that in mind when we set the country's plastic recycling goals."

Gen Surasak, speaking at the 9th Regional 3R Forum in Asia and the Pacific, said that waste management is not a political issue, so any government must strive to stay in line with global best practices.

The three-day forum is being held to to discuss best practices in waste reduction, reuse and recycling (3R). Hosted by the Thai government., the event is being attended by more than 600 people from 42 countries.

Tomorrow, the forum is going to announce a Bangkok 3R Declaration, to herald regional cooperation on waste management.
According to the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, Thailand recycles about 25% of its total waste, said Gen Surasak.
"As such, Thailand must work hard hard to increase up its recycling capacity," he said.

Gen Surasak said that Thailand will ban the import of plastic waste to produce new material.
Currently, Thailand has to import plastic waste from other countries, especially Japan, in order to comply with an international manufacturing rule that requires a third of the materials used to come from recycled material, as its locally generated plastic waste is considered unfit for industrial recycling processes.

Gen Surasak said the ban on importing waste will force the waste management sector to improve. "With support from the business sector, we are confident that we can achieve our target by 2030, or even earlier," he said.

[buksida]

Thailand is well in the top ten for global countries that produce plastic that ends up in the ocean, it used to be 5th but it seems Egypt and Sri Lanka have just passed it. Most of what comes out of Bangkok has been thrown in rivers by the people and washed down into the Gulf.

The provincial stats are ridiculous (as are most stats generated here) as it is not measurable on that scale (unless they pick it all up which they clearly dont). But it stands to reason that Prachuap would up there because it has one of the longest coastlines in the country.

90% of what we see on the beaches, and what the Trash Heroes collect, has been thrown away by locals or off fishing boats (count the tooth brushes and lighters!). They're simply too lazy to find a bin or take their shit home.

Edit: I moved the posts out of the Trash Hero thread to here.

[Nereus]

Thais plan to cut sea debris by 50%

https://www.bangkokpost.com/news/genera ... ris-by-50-

2027 deadline set by govt at Asean meet

Thailand made a political commitment Tuesday to reduce marine debris by at least 50% by 2027, according to Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha.

The premier did not attend the opening of the Special Asean Ministerial Meeting on Marine Debris due to an eye infection, but his statement was read out by the master of ceremonies.

"On a national level, Thailand has taken a proactive approach, especially on marine debris, of which 80% is land-based. Thailand has announced a target to reduce marine debris by at least 50% by 2027, through applying the principle of the circular economy," the statement said.

The government has worked to combat plastic marine waste by establishing the Plastic Material Flow Database throughout the country last June, while the private sector is part of the "Thailand Public-Private Partnership for Plastic and Waste Management", or "PPP Plastic".

Gen Prayut stressed that to combat marine debris in Asean, strong cooperation and clear targets are needed, together with a high level of cooperation from the international community.

Asean Secretary-General Lim Jock Hoi said that the issue of marine debris needs urgent regional cooperation to shape policy to eliminate it, adding that 60% of global marine debris originates from four countries in the Asean region.

He also said that the marine ecological system is vital as 19% of the region's GDP comes from marine resources. Consequently, marine destruction causes severe damage to economies, tourism and fishing in the region.

The meeting set a goal to develop a regional action plan, which is expected to be officially endorsed at the Asean Summit in June in Thailand, he said.
"The meeting was very active in discussing the best practices in each country for dealing with the problem," said Gen Surasak Kanchanarat, Natural Resources and Environment Minister.

Thailand also suggested it set up a branch in the Lower Mekong Region as it is one of the world's top 10 contributors of debris into the sea.

Thailand is currently ranked as the sixth worst contributor of marine debris in the world and number four in Asean, after Indonesia, the Philippines and Vietnam.

Government says 80% of ocean pollution caused by Thailand comes from the land. (File photo)

c1_1639860_190306051731_620x413.jpg (41.12 KiB) Viewed 563 times

[PeteC]

....."He said the officials would also campaign for ice makers to stop using jute bags for ice delivery and use hygienic plastic bags to avoid contamination".......

Little will to change anything here concerning plastics it seems. They've been using jute for over a hundred years and I nor anyone I knew got sick from it when I was having ice blocks delivered decades ago. Pay bloody attention to the quality of the water used in making the ice if you want the product safe!

http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/ ... s/30365355

[PeteC]

Most thais are daily straw users – especially women, survey says

BANGKOK — One for the morning bottle of OJ, another for afternoon milk tea and yet one more for the dinner table’s glass of lime-infused ice water.

Over half of Thais who participated in a survey said they use plastic straws daily, with a fourth saying they used several in a day – especially women, online pollster YouGov announced Monday. The survey comes as Thailand faces a growing reckoning over its disposable culture in the form of dying sea life and overflowing landfills.

Asked about the results, a Greenpeace Thailand anti-plastics campaigner said it’s an understandable consequence of habit.

“As a woman, when I go out with my girlfriends, they like to use a straw because it’s convenient, or they didn’t refuse a seller putting one in their drink,” Pichmol Rugrod said.

The YouGov survey found that 24 percent of Thais use plastic straws multiple times a day, with 29 percent using one a day. Of the women surveyed, 59 percent use straws at least once a day, compared to 47 percent of men.

“Some are concerned about whether the cups they’re drinking from at some shops are clean, and some people who wear lipstick don’t want to leave a mark on the glass,” Pichmol said of possible reasons for the gender disparity.

Ultimately, gender was less of a determiner in who uses more plastic than lack of awareness, she added.

“It’s up to the individual,” she said.

The YouGov poll was conducted in February. YouGov selected 1,016 respondents from its pool of 165,000 Thais who have signed up to participate in return for compensation. They were selected by age, gender, income group and education level in order to be representative. The margin of error is plus or minus 3 percent........

Remainder of story and chart at link: http://www.khaosodenglish.com/featured/ ... rvey-says/