Tips for recycling and reducing plastic use in Thailand

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PeteC
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Re: Tips for recycling and reducing plastic use in Thailand

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bsdk1960 wrote: Mon May 14, 2018 1:45 pm the bigest supermarket chain in DK will aband plastic plates,knife,fork ect. from next year.
its a small step but i think other will follow. :cheers: :cheers:
Over and over again I drum into the wife and daughter to check their bags at places like 7-11 and remove and give back any plastic spoons, forks etc., that the clerks automatically throw in there. Do they remember to do that?...... :banghead: maybe 1 in 10 trips. Even smart and caring people don't seem to be totally tuned into the severity of the problem to the extent that it has become second nature in their daily routines. Maybe soon.....I hope. :( Pete :cheers:
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Re: Tips for recycling and reducing plastic use in Thailand

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And why is that, because is not their problem.
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Re: Tips for recycling and reducing plastic use in Thailand

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State chews over plastic bag levy

https://www.bangkokpost.com/business/ne ... c-bag-levy

The government is considering a levy on shopping bags to reduce plastic consumption and pollution, says a source at the Finance Ministry.

Other alternatives include replacing regular plastic bags with biodegradable ones and making thinner plastic carrier bags, the source said.

The options are part of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) expected to be signed between the government and the private sector, with the Thai Retailers Association (TRA) discussing the issue next week before holding a meeting with the Finance Ministry to reach a conclusion on the matter.
The source said options designed to encourage consumers to reduce plastic bag usage are expected to come into force next year.

These options are being jointly initiated by the interior, natural resources and environment ministries to curb plastic waste and address ecological problems in the country.

Under the MoU, a committee on steering, evaluating and monitoring the issue will be set up, the source said, adding that plastic bag sales could be banned in the long run.

In 2017, Thailand had 27.4 million tonnes of waste, of which 2 million tonnes was plastic. Moreover, plastic bag waste accounted for 13% of marine litter in 2015, well above food packaging waste at 8% and straws at 10%.
According to the Environmental Quality Promotion Department's data, plastic bag usage per person averages 8.7 bags a day in Bangkok.

The government in 2015 joined hands with the private sector to launch a nationwide campaign to reduce plastic bag usage, with retailers claiming that consumption has declined by 300 million plastic bags.

Fifteen major shopping malls and supermarkets throughout the country have agreed to join in the campaign to encourage customers to bring their own cloth bags or haversacks.

The source said the Fiscal Policy Office will not consider imposing a tax to reduce plastic bag usage, as the tax collection costs would likely exceed tax revenue, and the burden should not be passed on to consumers, as plastic bag production costs are quite low.

Chatchai Tuangrattanapan, director of the TRA, said the association is scheduled to call a meeting of its members on May 18 to discuss the government's new policy.

Each retail chain has launched its own activities to encourage shoppers to use cloth bags and replace plastic ones, but the response from customers has been minimal. Similar measures to curb plastic usage have been successful in other countries, Mr Chatchai said, adding that legal measures here would boost enforcement.
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Re: Tips for recycling and reducing plastic use in Thailand

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What does one do with wet garbage, i.e. food scraps, etc.?
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Re: Tips for recycling and reducing plastic use in Thailand

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Nat Geo are currently running a feature on plastics and their impact on the planet: https://www.nationalgeographic.com/envi ... orplastic/

Lots of scary info there for those that want to ignore the problem or say 'its someone else's job'.
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Re: Tips for recycling and reducing plastic use in Thailand

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handdrummer wrote: Mon May 14, 2018 5:45 pm What does one do with wet garbage, i.e. food scraps, etc.?
Here in the Netherlands we *must* seperate all rubbish... otherwise the council just wont take it... you could even get fined

The 4 main categories are plastic, paper, green/ biodegradable and landfill

All the wet stuff, food scraps, garden clippings etc get taken by the council to a big composting place and turned into compost. We can get free bags of compost at the council recycling place.
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Re: Tips for recycling and reducing plastic use in Thailand

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MDMK, that doesn't answer the question. Perhaps I should have said what does one do with wet garbage at home before it gets taken away. What containers are used for it?
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Re: Tips for recycling and reducing plastic use in Thailand

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We just throw ours in the garden. We keep a small plastic container on the the kitchen worktop and put any wet stuff in it. It never smells outisde because it dries up very quickly, and provides some nibbles for the wildlife.

If you've got a garden, handdrummer, you could just create your own little compost heap?

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Re: Tips for recycling and reducing plastic use in Thailand

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Thanks VS but I don't have a garden. Used to do that at home and had a great vegetable garden.
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Re: Tips for recycling and reducing plastic use in Thailand

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Ahhhh... containers. I have a 6liter kitchen waste bin from the brabantia sort and go range. We are just the two of us... so these work ok if emptied daily... but would be useless if you have a big family or need to store it longer. The lid closes well enough so you get no smells... but flips open easy enough for constant use... small enough to be stored in a pan drawer or left on worktop... again though, I empty it daily into the big council bin in my garden ... without a garden I have no idea. A bigger bin on your balcony with a very secure lid?
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Re: Tips for recycling and reducing plastic use in Thailand

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Think about implementing what I call "freezer garbage" for wet animal/vegetable waste. I started doing it in Hawaii as in the rural parts of the Big Island there is no trash pick up of any type and people have to load things into their cars and take to the nearest Gov run facility ( 20' hopper truck) that are spaced out about every 10 miles around the perimeter of the island.

You simply keep your wet waste in a bag in the freezer until it's time to take or be picked up. I do it here as well. Eliminates mess, smell, cats, dogs, rats, bugs etc. Works very well if you have a freezer big enough where you can dedicate half of a deep drawer. Pete :cheers:
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Re: Tips for recycling and reducing plastic use in Thailand

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Great idea and so easy to dedicate 1 freezer drawer
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Re: Tips for recycling and reducing plastic use in Thailand

Post by oakdale160 »

I just read a long article on what different countries are doing to reduce plastic waste. I was amazed how many are totally banning some or all of the plastic bags. Then there was a list continent by continent with a summary of each countries new laws. Sadly Thai was absent from the list.
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Re: Tips for recycling and reducing plastic use in Thailand

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I read something in a Dutch paper this morning that the EU is looking to ban plastic straws, cottonbuds, forks and the like. Excellent move imo.

And PeteC... your freezer drawer for wet trash is working a treat :-)
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Re: Tips for recycling and reducing plastic use in Thailand

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MDMK wrote: Tue May 29, 2018 11:45 am......And PeteC... your freezer drawer for wet trash is working a treat :-)
Great :thumb:
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