Clean Hua Hin's beaches movement - Trash Hero

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seasides
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Clean Hua Hin's beaches movement - Trash Hero

Post by seasides »

These are guys you absolutely have to support:

https://www.facebook.com/trashherohuahin/

Each year, I feel like the beaches north and south of Hua Hin are getting dirtier. Last week thick dark foam near the airport, direction Khao Takiab, well, it's all littered with plastic, bottles, bags, you name it.

Who cares!

Thai kids playing in the middle of the rubbish.

Personally I gave up on collecting rubbish on the beach each and every day. Am looked at like invading from outer space. And next day same new trash will have arrived along the shore.

But that's the wrong approach.

Each and every cleanup action counts.
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Re: Clean Hua Hin's Beaches Movement

Post by buksida »

+1

We have the same problem further down the coast and regularly do cleanups - 90% of it comes off the fishing boats where we are so hopefully the EU clampdown on them may reduce some of the trash on our beaches.

The problem is not unique to Thailand though - its an Asian thing.
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Re: Clean Hua Hin's Beaches Movement

Post by Bristolian »

It matters not if the EU clamp down on the fishing industry, in the Gulf area. Fish stocks in the Gulf are now down to below 20% of the volume of 1980s and the area will effectively be "fished out" very soon, to the point that it can not be any longer viable for the fishing boats. That is an even worse issue environmentally IMO.
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Re: Clean Hua Hin's Beaches Movement

Post by Big Boy »

I've said it a few times now, but I walk the beach most evenings. In many places the beach is very well floodlit, especially at weekends. It might be worth considering an early evening clean up when the temperature is a little lower.
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Re: Clean Hua Hin's Beaches Movement

Post by buksida »

Trash Hero is growing, there is now one for Songkhla and a movement has just been started in Bangsaphan: http://www.facebook.com/trashherobangsaphan

If you're environmentally minded, concerned about Thailand's monumental trash problem, and have a few hours spare, join Trash Hero Hua Hin who meet at Takiab Beach every week: http://www.facebook.com/trashherohuahin

Today's Bangkok Post has more on the Trash Hero movement: http://www.bangkokpost.com/lifestyle/so ... -accolades

http://www.trashhero.org
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Re: Clean Hua Hin's Beaches Movement

Post by buksida »

Tesco saved 1m plastic bags Saturday
Discount retailer Tesco Lotus said it saved a million plastic bags in the first day of a government campaign to stop use of disposable sacks on the 15th of every month.

The Department of Environmental Quality Promotion has enrolled 15 retailers in the programme that began Saturday.

Charkrit Direkwattanachai, Tesco Lotus' head of corporate communication and sustainability, said the company has set a goal to save 40 million plastic bags in 2015 under its own "proud not to use plastic bags" campaign.

The store began efforts to reduce plastic use in 2010 and so far has saved 50 million bags.

According to statistics from the Pollution Control Department, the average Thai uses eight plastic bags per day; a total of 2.7 million tonnes of plastic and polystyrene foam waste or an average of 7,000 tonnes per day. Of that, 80%, or 5,300 tonnes, is plastic bags, which generally take up to 450 years to degrade.

http://www.bangkokpost.com/business/new ... s-saturday

Thought: Now if 7-Eleven could follow suit and stop giving out plastic bags, straws and spoons with every pack of gum we'd really be making progress!
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Re: Clean Hua Hin's Beaches Movement

Post by PeteC »

I don't understand the "450 year..." deal at all. It has to be an exaggeration, based upon my experience, and simply thrown out there as a shock tactic. I have used dozens of Tesco and other plastic bags here for a variety of purposes, such as fastened to the top of a bamboo pole to scare pigeons, cover foliage to protect from bugs, wrap and store a variety of things in my sheds. In all cases when exposed to sun it is dissolved to brittle shreds within a month, and if in the storage shed the same due to simple exposure to air within 6 months.

I can't see where the results would be different when buried in the ground. In fact, the process is probably faster IMO. Perhaps I have been lucky enough to get the "decay quick" bags that I read some stores are now using, I don't know. Pete :cheers:
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Re: Clean Hua Hin's Beaches Movement

Post by buksida »

They're probably referring to the micro-plastics that emerge as a result of photo-degradation of polyethylene bags, just because something physically breaks up doesn't mean the chemical components of it are not still in the environment (they dont biodegrade). All of this eventually ends up in the ocean and in the food chain.

However, plastic bags have only been around for 50 years or so therefore no accurate measurements or studies have been made yet.
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Re: Clean Hua Hin's Beaches Movement

Post by HHTel »

I have the same problem with 'decaying' bags. When I remove a plastic bag full of rubbish from the waste bins in the house, I need to get it down to a bin quite quickly as if I leave it outside for a couple of days, it rots. Then I have rubbish all over the garden!
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Re: Clean Hua Hin's Beaches Movement

Post by buksida »

Sunlight causes the polymer-chains in plastic bags to break down so keep them in the shade if you don't want trash all over the place!
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Re: Clean Hua Hin's Beaches Movement

Post by Big Boy »

I keep seeing this hype about plastic bags and the damage they do, and I don't disagree with it. However, what is the alternative if you go to Tesco (or any large supermarket) for your shopping?

Their policy does not permit you to take your own bags into the shop. You have to check them into the information desk (queue 1).

The design of the checkouts means the only logical scenario is to let the checkout assistant to bundle your goods into plastic bags (queue 2).

Finally, you have to join queue number 3 to retrieve your own bags, and transfer the goods already bagged up in your trolley.

I always used my own bags in the UK, but the Thai retail mindset does not lend itself to using your own bags.
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Re: Clean Hua Hin's Beaches Movement

Post by PeteC »

At Makro where I am you actually cart the loose items out to the car and pile them into coolers,boxes,bags you have in there. If walking or on an MC, impossible I know. Makro does sell reusable bags. The wife standing here tells me either 12 or 14 baht for one, which is a good deal IMO. TESCO and others should perhaps follow that example.....and allow the customer back in with the empty bag during future visits!
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Re: Clean Hua Hin's Beaches Movement

Post by Big Boy »

They all sell them, but it's their policy on not permitting bags in the store that is the problem.

Anyway, I'm taking this topic off track :oops: . Just a little breakfast time rant :D :offtopic:
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Re: Clean Hua Hin's Beaches Movement

Post by Big Boy »

Back on thread, as you know, we regularly walk our dogs on the beach. A few weeks back, we left the plastic bags to clear any mess they made on the beach in the car. I said not to worry, we'll find a bag as we walk. We'd actually walked about 4 miles before we came across a bag - just in the nick of time :shock:
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Re: Clean Hua Hin's Beaches Movement

Post by Takiap »

BigBoy, at Makro they have no problem letting you in with an empty reusable shopping bag. I regularly (including today) take a used Makro bag with me and I've never been stopped by security.

As for litter on the beaches..........as long as people (mostly locals) are allowed on the beaches, you are going to have litter.
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