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Thailand Fights Addiction To Plastic Bags
This year's BMA campaign was launched on Jun. 5, World Environment Day. Last year, the campaign targeted a cutback of 4.4 million plastic bags among Bangkok consumers. This year, BMA authorities want a cutback that is three times that figure. Their annual disposal cost reaches more than 600 million baht (18.4 million dollars), city officials have said. Local media have quoted BMA deputy governor Porntep Techapaibul as saying that of the city's daily 10,000 tonnes of trash, about 1,800 tonnes are plastic bags, a number projected to increase by about 20 percent each year. 35 percent of the solid wastes collected from parts of Thailand outside of Bangkok are properly managed, while the rest of the waste products are "piled up in open dumping areas waiting to be dissolved." For a campaign to be effective, Tara says, consumers have to be aware of the importance and the long-term effect of the scheme. "We need to study what economic mechanism will work if plastic bags are banned in Thailand," he says. "What would be the reaction of the huge plastic industry in the country? What will be the economic incentive for people to follow this campaign?" The good news, though, is that many establishments like supermarket chain Tesco Lotus and furniture store Home Pro are open to taking part in the BMA project. In fact, even before the 'No Bag, No Baht' project was relaunched, Tesco Lotus already had its very own 'Green Bag Green Point' campaign. For each bag saved, a customer can earn one Green Clubcard point. Even small businesses are joining in. During the BMA campaign's soft relaunch in May, than 5,000 stores in Bangkok's famous Chatuchak weekend market participated. Article Directory: http://www.articledashboard.com www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2010/jun/28/thailand-plastic-bags |
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