Tips for recycling and reducing plastic use in Thailand

[handdrummer]

I wouldn't want to wear plastic fibers in this heat.

[PeteC]

Choking the oceans to death

https://www.bangkokpost.com/business/17 ... s-to-death

Blamed for the high-profile deaths of numerous endangered dugongs this year, plastic in the ocean is at the forefront of conversations about the environment in Thailand.

Much of the rhetoric on the issue centres around single-use consumer plastics like bags and straws, and not on the biggest contributor to ocean plastics: lost and discarded fishing gear.

An estimated 70% of macro-plastics in the ocean are from abandoned, lost or discarded fishing gear, also called ghost gear, while 46% of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch is made up of fishing gear. The UN's Food and Agriculture Organization estimates around 640,000 tonnes of fishing gear are left in oceans each year globally.

The gear mainly consists of lost nets, but also floaters, fishing line and lobster pots. The nets especially are a danger to marine life, namely turtles, dolphins and whales, says Tara Buakamsri, Thailand country director at Greenpeace.

"Fishermen travel illegally into protected dugong areas," he says. "I would say most of the dugong deaths have been related to fishing gear."

Thailand is already the sixth largest contributor to plastics in the ocean, but that statistic only accounts for plastic that starts on land and ends up in the ocean. The country's massive fishing industry likely contributes even more plastic, although the exact amount is unaccounted for.

In the past, fishermen used nets made of biodegradable hemp, but stopped after they were no longer economically viable. The fishing industry is unlikely to be willing to revert to the older, greener ways of netting fish.

"In Thailand there is no concrete measure or regulation to monitor fishing gear left at sea," Mr Tara says.

NO ONE SOLUTION

Thai Union, headquartered in Samut Sakhon and one of the world's largest seafood companies, is publicly working to address this issue, having teamed up with the non-profit Global Ghost Gear Initiative in 2018. This past June, Thai Union's chief executive, Thiraphong Chansiri, went diving to recover fishing gear in the Gulf of Thailand to bring awareness to the problem.

While Thai Union only processes seafood and operates no fishing vessels of their own, it is attempting to use its influence in the industry to tackle poor practices that lead to lost gear.

According to Darian McBain, global director of corporate affairs and sustainability at Thai Union, fishermen almost never discard their gear into the ocean on purpose, as nets are expensive and it is cheaper to repair damaged nets than throw them away. Rather, nets get snagged or washed away by waves, then sink to the bottom of the ocean. Other types of nets, like gillnets, float to the top of the water and can get entangled with animals.

"Part of the problem with ghost gear is the silence, as the plastics are not seen and a lot is on the ocean floor," Ms McBain says. "Another challenge is no global governance of abandoned lost fishing gear, as international waters are not governed by any one country."

She posits a variety of solutions for collecting the gear, while stipulating that prevention is most important. For one, Ms McBain says nets should be marked so they can be returned to the original owners if found. An app could be developed to report lost gear, so cleanup teams can recover it later.

Highly trafficked ports could also have recycling facilities for gear too damaged to repair. However, because most fishing gear is made of a variety of materials -- nylon, polystyrene, PTT plastic -- it is difficult to recycle.

There is only one plant in Southeast Asia that can recycle fishing gear -- in Vietnam.

"Ships are out for weeks at a time and arrive at a different port each time," Ms McBain says. "There are not good port collection facilities nor transport to recycling plants."

CHANGING CURRENTS

Ingrid Griskes, director of the Global Ghost Gear Initiative, suggests fishing boats avoid fishing over shipwrecks, areas known to attract greater densities of fish, but are liable to snag nets. Instead she recommends fishermen set up fake coral reefs, or fish aggregation devices, to attract fish to limit the ground a fishing boat must cover.

Governments could also do much more to monitor and crack down on illegal fishing operations, she says.

"In Indonesia all gear has to be marked, and unmarked gear is illegal," Ms Griskes says. "In Thailand illegal gear is popular and because illegal fishing boats often operate at night to avoid being caught, they're more likely to lose gear."

Despite the enormity of the ghost gear problem, most of the attention on ocean plastics remains on straws, bottles and products used by individual consumers, rather than on systemic practices by large industries.

"The extensive attention on land-based plastics is frustrating when by volume, the issue of ghost gear is far greater," she says. "I feel like this year and last year have seen a tipping point for ghost gear awareness and governments and the UN are starting to finally take this issue seriously."

[buksida]

All comes back to the same problem - no enforcement in Thailand so people do what they like.

[HHTel]

This article is almost excusing consumers of their responsibility. Basically saying, Don't worry, people. You are not the real problem.

Another Thai phrase - "It's not me, it's them!"

[PeteC]

Microplastics: Premium teabags leak billions of particles - study

Video at link.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-49845940

Some premium tea bags might be leaving billions of microscopic plastic particles in your cup, new research suggests.

Canadian researchers found that some plastic tea bags shed high levels of microplastics into water.

Microplastics have widely been found in the environment, in tap and bottled waters, and in some foods.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) says such particles in drinking water do not appear to pose a risk.

But the WHO said the findings were based on "limited information" and it called for greater research on the issue.

The researchers, from McGill University in Montreal, Canada, also called for more investigation into the health effects of microplastics, defined as small (less than 5mm in length) pieces of any kind of plastic debris.

For the study, they bought four different commercial teas packaged in plastic teabags.

Most teabags are made from paper, but some premium brands have switched to using a type of plastic mesh instead for their product.

The researchers removed the tea and placed the empty teabags in water heated to 95C (203F), as if they were brewing tea.

They found that a single plastic teabag released about 11.6bn microplastic and 3.1bn smaller nanoplastic particles into the hot water. The particles are completely invisible to the naked eye.


The level of "particles released from the teabag packaging are several orders of magnitude higher than plastic loads previously reported in other foods", according to the study, which was published by the journal of Environmental Science and Technology.

Researcher Laura Hernandez says they were surprised by the amount released compared to those recorded in other studies into things like bottled water.

She says the discrepancy could be in part due to the fact they focused on the tiniest of particles - both microplastics, which are about the thickness of one hair, and nanoplastics, which are a thousand times smaller.

But she also said it could be due the fact "it's a piece of plastic being exposed to boiling water" and not just water at room temperature.

Ms Hernandez noted this is a chance for consumers, like those looking to reduce their plastic use, to be more aware of their purchases.

"There is really no need to package tea in plastic, which at the end of the day becomes single-use plastic," she said. "[And] which is contributing to you not just ingesting plastic but to the environmental burden of plastic."

[Dannie Boy]

I always make tea using loose leaf tea leaves - but if I didn’t, I would now!!

[HHTel]

[Nereus]

This old bloke makes a lot of sense. To me, the packaging industry has a lot to answer for.
Some of his cooking articles are also very informative:
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Post plastic? Let's get back to basics

https://www.bangkokpost.com/life/social ... s#cxrecs_s

Clean, traditional materials such as banana leaf and bamboo could be the future of packaging

Excessive use of plastic bags has created serious environmental problems ever since the product was first introduced to Thailand. But plastic waste has never been tackled effectively. Tonnes of the stuff is dumped daily at rubbish sites around the country, with the waste piling up and becoming mountains of plastic. Authorities continue to secure more plots for dumping. Campaigns to address plastic pollution are sporadic and often poorly co-ordinated. They tend to begin with a great deal of fanfare, then quickly fade away having achieved little.

Why is plastic waste such a massive issue in Thailand? The answer is that plastic bags were quickly and successfully integrated into the Thai lifestyle. We use plastic bags heavily every day for convenience. Plastic manufacturers came up with new, attractive designs to suit the needs of consumers. Importantly, they were very cheap. Functional, affordable products attracted more customers. All the while, the manufacturers became richer and richer.

With the issue of plastic waste having become so serious, I can't help thinking of how things were before plastic took over. Back then, we relied on natural materials available all around us. We used woven bamboo baskets and old newspapers. In those days, people read newspapers as their main source of news and entertainment, so it was easier to acquire old newspapers. These were folded into paper bags or cut into sheets. Another material used extensively was banana leaf, commonly known as bai tong, which was abundant and involved no expense.

Before going somewhere or doing something, people prepared equipment and materials accordingly. For example, people brought bamboo baskets to market. Vendors wrapped vegetable in banana leaf or put chillies, shallots and garlic in paper bags. Beansprouts were packed in paper bags lined with banana leaf, while curry paste was wrapped tightly in banana leaf and pinned with mai klad (tiny sticks made of bamboo). Butchers and fishmongers used banana leaf to wrap pork or fish as the first layer and then secured the packets with sheets of paper.

In regional markets vendors were often even more creative in employing natural approaches. For example, some would use a thinly cut bamboo strip and thread it through several fish via their mouths and gills to form a bundle which could be carried conveniently. The bamboo strips could also be used with fresh vegetables. Such traditional folk techniques are so efficient that they are still in use today.

Durable and practical, woven bamboo containers can be found in most households. These versatile baskets, called chalom, are loosely woven, with the top ends of the bamboo strips tied together to form a handle.

Chalom can be used as shopping baskets or to store onions, shallots, garlic or chillies. Sometimes they were used as carryalls, containing clothes when travelling. Chalom are not known for their toughness, but they are highly functional. Even when broken, the material can be used to kindle charcoal in a stove.

There are many more household utilities which can be made from bamboo. Among the better-known items is the rice winnowing tray. In addition to being used to winnow rice, it can be used to dry fish or drain vegetables after they have been washed.

In northern Thailand, there is a tree called tong tung, its large leaves called bai tong tung. These leaves make excellent packaging for food such as sticky rice, grilled chicken and fried pork. They are commonly used for packed lunches.

Banana leaf has long been widely used throughout Southeast Asia. It can be formed into different shapes to serve different purposes. Fresh banana leaf is great for wrapping fresh produce before being steamed or grilled. The material can also be used to make small containers called krathong to hold fluid mixtures. These properties make banana leaf a much more environmentally friendly alternative.

Western countries have started to pick up on banana leaf, taking note of the ways in which Southeast Asian peoples have been utilising it for centuries. In Thailand, we are seeing banana leaf being used more widely to present and serve dishes in upper-end restaurants. This constitutes a good start in raising awareness of this alternative packaging, which will help us to reduce the amount plastic bags we use.

It may take a long time to phase out plastic bags and replace them with alternatives such as banana leaf. But it is better than doing nothing.

[HHTel]

A guy who remembers life before plastic. For myself, I grew up in a 'plastic free' Britain back in the 40's and 50's. I remember it well. Metal toys (worth a pretty penny today), wicker shopping baskets, paper carrier bags, newspaper at fish shops (even hung on a nail in the khazi!)

Lever Bros promoting plastic by giving away a plastic daffodil with every packet of Persil. I imagine a few on here will remember that.

We are our own worse enemy.

[Nereus]

Lever Bros promoting plastic by giving away a plastic daffodil with every packet of Persil. I imagine a few on here will remember that.

A recent example of how the marketing and packaging gurus operate:

I use a dishwashing liquid that for as long as I can remember, has been sold in a (plastic) squeeze container with a simple flip up lid. Not any more! EVERY bottle on the shelf at BigC last week now comes with a pump type dispensing top. WHY? More bloody plastic, PLUS the stupid thing is difficult to use!

[handdrummer]

pump type dispensing top. WHY?
Because, the pump doesn't remove all the liquid and you'll have to buy more, sooner. Even if it's only 5 drops, when you multiply that by millions of containers it adds up to more profits.

[Dannie Boy]

There are so many examples we can all highlight, but one item I buy on a regular basis are pots of 4 yogurts - understandably these days they come in plastic pots, but the four pots are then wrapped in cellophane and the final insult are four added plastic spoons.

[Big Boy]

Yes, Mrs BB bought a cauliflower in Tesco earlier today. Protected by a styrofoam cover, wrapped in cling film, and then placed into a small plastic bag, which was tied to prevent re-use, and then the price label attached to the outside.

[handdrummer]

Yes, Mrs BB bought a cauliflower in Tesco earlier today. Protected by a styrofoam cover, wrapped in cling film, and then placed into a small plastic bag, which was tied to prevent re-use, and then the price label attached to the outside.

The sanitation police are running the food industry. With exceptions; open bins of meat in markets.

[PeteC]

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-envi ... SKBN1WW0J5

Aluminum cans might indeed mean less ocean waste, but they come with their own eco-price: the production of each can pumps about twice as much carbon into the atmosphere as each plastic bottle.

French group Danone (DANO.PA) has become the latest company to make a move, telling Reuters it had started to replace some plastic bottles with aluminum cans for local water brands in Britain, Poland and Denmark.

The shift, previously unannounced, comes as multinational rivals like Coca-Cola Co (KO.N), PepsiCo (PEP.O) and Nestle (NESN.S) are also launching some canned versions of water brands.

The beverage industry has been scrambling to react to public anger over scenes of huge piles of plastic waste contaminating oceans, pledging to step up recycling efforts.

However it’s not black and white on the green front. By increasing recycling via cans, companies could fall back in efforts to reduce their carbon footprints, illustrating the tough juggling act they can face to keep environmentally conscious investors, campaigners and consumers on-side.

“That’s the dilemma you’re going to have to choose between,” said Ruben Griffioen, sustainability manager of packaging materials at Heineken, adding the company was trying to reduce both plastic waste and emissions.

Recycling plastic is more complex, leads to degradation and has lower reuse rates than aluminum - so the metal has been heralded as a greener alternative. Cans have on average 68% recycled content compared to just 3% for plastic in the United States, Environmental Protection Agency data shows.

Full article plus charts at link...........