World Recycling Day: Thailand drowning in foreign plastic waste • FRANCE 24 English

[@chow-chihuang4903]

No country should be exporting their waste, plastic or not. Deal with the consequences of your own consumption instead of hiding it by shipping it to someone else.

[@biologiforfun1874]

100% agree

[@pasinhumbert2746]

Thai Gov only cares for money.

[@trashyraccoon2615]

Don’t tell us. Tell your politicians! We already know!

[@pasinhumbert2746]

@@trashyraccoon2615 Let me know when they listen.

[@trashyraccoon2615]

@@pasinhumbert2746 Defeatist attitude won’t help unfortunately! Have to be strong and fight for what’s right. Not just roll over like that

[@pavans3720]

Thailand - please ban plastic.. you have a tourism industry.. you need to preserve nature.

[@JargonFootprint]

There's no way that Thailand bans plastics anytime soon. They are not allowed to.

[@stefanmiletic8062]

Put pressure on your Western leaders to ban plastic exports to other countries! Stop consuming so many unnecessary things. Especially water if you have safe drinking water in your house! The hypocrisy of the Western world pretending to recycle and care about the environment is crazy.

[@enterthenuttmeister]

@@stefanmiletic8062 you're insane if you think it's wester countries creating the plastic in SEA. When you buy something to eat here you get like 10 plastic bags that many just throw wherever. Not everything is west faults. My country doesn't export any waste, it actually imports waste from other countries and recycles it.

[@Touchdown-op5qg]

the title is foreign plastic for some reason right?

[@DR_1_1]

Nature in Thailand... go visit the National Parks, they are overcrowded with SUVs and 4x4s, camps are packed most of the time! Not to speak about the coasts and islands!!!

[@Jungletraveler00_12]

Maybe it's time the world stops using plastic, at least the countries that are incapable of recycling.

[@phunk8607]

And what do they use

[@Jungletraveler00_12]

@@phunk8607 They should live without plastic/use nothing

[@ReinhardPriller-ck9ny]

then even worse: food waste increase like hell, glass bottles incredibel energy intense and paper/cardboards will kill our forrests and we need them for CO2 capture

[@alwaysright6358]

You mean like the US, Canada, and Britain

[@Jungletraveler00_12]

@@alwaysright6358 UK, US and Canada recycle waste more than you think

[@purberri]

And all that plastic ends up in the oceans which affect us all not just Thailand

[@SK-lt1so]

Indonesia is the same . Plastic bottles everywhere

[@emaj555]

As a Thai, I feel a deep sense of embarrassment and shame regarding the portrayal of our country, yet it's undeniable that these observations are grounded in reality. While Thailand is celebrated for its laid-back culture and friendly people, regrettably, this same attitude extends to a lax approach to littering. We even have a term in Thai, "มักง่าย," which encapsulates this tendency to opt for the easiest solution regardless of the consequences.

[@karimtabrizi376]

Dont feel shame. Its a global problem

[@nongskykrub]

ไ*****เอ้ย

[@ylamoon]

Why feel ashamed? It's a common issue. The real shame should come from how we handle this problem. But don't dwell on feeling guilty for too long. Take action instead. We pamper our folks so much that they end up using plastics carelessly without thinking twice.

[@nongskykrub]

ไ*****เอ้ย

[@nongskykrub]

งื้ออออไ*****เอ้ย

[@Biking360]

I have lived in Thailand for 23 years. I regularly do long cycle tours in Thailand and so have already seen most of the country. I can tell you that the amount of plastic waste at the edge of the roads is staggering.

[@johnlesoudeur3653]

It seems to be the same in most countries these days...never mind plastic waste on the beaches which can come from other countries. Then there is Teflon.

[@LucasMarodindepaiva]

People here use too much unnecessary plastic...

[@um8440]

Every country got a plastic problem.

[@keangwooichoo6138]

Have you seen Durban south Africa? Please google

[@izzathadi4006]

For me I can see Thailand is quite clean and free from plastic rubbish along the roadside...you should come to Malaysia and witness the condition 😢

[@ananwongpinyochit4919]

Recycling and management of plastic waste must be the first priority for Thailand's national agenda.

[@EmilionOW]

Education? National Security? Health care? Affordable Food? Are u aight?

[@gregoryp9813]

Plenty of houses do not have running water, electricity, plumbing, windows. Pollution is not top priority

[@omery.8342]

I visited Thailand four times. I have never seen any other country that produces so much plastic in my life.

[@DR_1_1]

Just overcrowded, developed too fast. Plastic is just a byproduct...

[@ButchoyOne]

Have you heard about Canada exporting their garbage to the Philippines?

[@gregoryp9813]

Is the Philippines receiving the trash with open arms?

[@King_Neptune]

I was shocked by the amount of plastic packaging Thailand used. you get a plastic bag for the smallest thing in a shop.

[@Andrew102]

Yeah, that is crazy and just aggravates me.

[@sssf85k]

You even get Chai Tea in a bag!

[@SmilesMiles]

Yes. Still, what western countries do is simply a pathetic hypcrisy.

[@AlphineWolf]

Basically the issue starts at home I guess

[@thomastessier4529]

Here is a part of the problem, there is big money in disposing of waste materials, especially dangerous ones (chemicals, radioactive waste, heavy metals, etc.) and the richer countries ship their waste to third world countries and pay them minimal money for them to dispose of it in their countries because they don't usually have strict environmental laws regarding hazardous waste materials and poor people will dispose of it just about anywhere just to be able to get some money.

[@payasa2131]

The Thai Gov. should be held accountable for this sort out its own waste management before importing even more.

[@SmilesMiles]

Importing is going to be banned.

[@azmanabas8425]

Same here in Malaysia... Thailand neighbour

[@88chinchin88]

Announced on Feb 2023, Thai government will start banning all imported waste from Jan 2025…. The period between the remaining of 2023 to 2024 is to allow all side to be ready for the new law… I guess every (east and southeast) Asian countries have (or soon will have) the same kind of law enacting throughout the region. Nevertheless we (as Thai) need to work more on our side such as reducing the use of plastic, better way of manage waste

[@enterthenuttmeister]

To think that it's the imported plastic that is the problem is a bit laughable imho. The plastic I see everywhere is from local bottles, the food from the dta-laat which comes in 20 plastic bags per meal. And mix that with an attitude many have to just throw it anywhere. I see everyday people on scooters just throwing it on the wayside. I think your last sentence was spot on. Need to work on it yourselves, and most likely it's not the plastic itself that is the bigger issue. More the attitude and education many have towards keeping their surroundings/common areas clean. Just look at Japan, they also used loads of plastic (compared to the west) and they manage it.

[@CrozierAlain]

the main problem is that we have lost our connection with nature we don't understand that killing nature amount to killing ourselves

[@natty2760]

In Thailand, the drinking water is bottled. People do not drink tap water. Some boils the filtered tap water for their making hot coffee at work place. The popular tea, drinking yoghurt, milk and flavored water is available in plastic bottle.

[@pustakarileks7404]

What about gallons?

[@drinny26]

Maybe they should stop importing plastic then. I mean didn’t Thailand survive for hundreds of years before coke and Pepsi?

[@avrilcrisp5725]

Just looking at Thai videos you can see how much plastic and polystyrene is used by the Thai people with drinks in plastic cups and plastic bags, take-out cartons etc. etc.

[@SolarizeYourLife]

There's this thing called PYROLYSIS and every city in the world needs a tire/plastic pyrolysis facility...

[@rave400v6]

Saying "banning plastic" won't solve anything. It's just a codeword for 'sweeping it under the rug'. If no one is willing to transform the plastic into another material, which they won't because they won't profit, then it will continue to accumulate.

[@shamushamudeen8427]

Plastic waste is dumped everywhere in Thailand. I stopped two days ago at a beach in Pattani and it was completely littered with plastic waste everywhere. I was completely disgusted and left. Thailand is a very beautiful place but people are not respecting their environment. It is sad.

[@frankcherry3810]

Its so true. You can never find a public trash can to dispose waste

[@clipboardtube]

This guy went to one beach in Patani and accused the whole country. As Pattati is a muslim-dominanted province, you should tell your muslim brothers to stop littering then. It seems the rest of the country has no issue.

[@tonyku7129]

​@@clipboardtubeso littering now is based in one's religion??

[@gregoryp9813]

Read the comments, people commenting about all over Thailand. I went to Bangkok, the river was Full of plastic.......

[@cloudzero1547]

@@gregoryp9813 u went to Bangkok and now suddenly you are an expert? lol

[@frankcherry3810]

Having lived in Chiang Mai for 10 years I have to say how disappointing it is to see just how polluted it is here. So different than Developed nations

[@Jungletraveler00_12]

Yes and the sad thing is that particles of plastic end up in the fish that people eat.

[@jerseyjoe82364]

Mostly imported waste. Thais needs to be educated on how to dispose of plastic in a responsible manner. Don't just throw it in a klong. Also, "The West" pollutes on a much higher scale. The US Military is the largest producer of greenhouse gases in the world.

[@maneeratpatt8441]

Part of the pollution comes from surrounding countries, Cambodia, Laos, and Burma. Thailand is now looking for ways to solve the problem. Thailand is not complacent.

[@SmilesMiles]

It is because of agricultiral burning.

[@goyam2981]

Are you talking about air quality or plastic waste?

[@Leviticus-z7w]

Here's my thought. Melt plastic into Lego blocks and use the blocks to build real homes. Just a thought.

[@IDMarketer]

No dangerous, plastic meet sunrays would be melt, dangerous for your lung

[@casanova1925]

2 to 5 euros per kilo of plastic? Huge blooper! That’s some very expensive plastic. The collectors only get .25 euros per kilo.

[@LucasMarodindepaiva]

Thailand should use Curitiba in Brazil as an example for recycling trash (that's not always trash). Also, companies should start using other alternatives to plastic... No need plastic bags, straws and plastic cup all the time

[@alantan79]

Governments of the world should make plastic manufacturers factor in the cost to recycle them and re-think the entire strategy to provide a full support chain to recycle all F&B related recycle products. Costs will go up of course and someone has to do it right.

[@Sakiesetakuntie]

We gotta quit making frivolous plastics.

[@mrg8537]

Not just Thailand, this is the same in most Asian countries. Rich countries should not be sending their waste to poor countries to deal with

[@cody9606]

Fun fact hemp can be used to make sustainable biodegradable non cancer causing plastics and it's green renewable, we can also make fuel, clothes, paper, fire retardant fabrics, medicine, ropes that last over twenty years

The producers of colas and water should be accountable

[@enterthenuttmeister]

No people need to have some accountability and not always blame others for self inflicted problems.

@@enterthenuttmeister I agree , people buying plastic bottles should be accountable as well. But sadly from my experience, they are careless.

[@Jon2592]

@ in the west for sure.. But a lot of countries don't have acccess to clean drinking water and rely on plastic bottles.

[@sanatanihindu383]

We need to ban single use plastic

[@goodfodder]

or at the very least make it twice as expensive as eco alternatives

[@sanatanihindu383]

@@goodfodder good point all government should impose 200-300% tax on these single use plastic products and initially government should provide some type of incentive or subsidy to these plastic vendor to shift their business into eco friendly alternative

[@_Alfa.Bravo_]

... each Thai uses 8 plastic bags per day ... 220 Billion per year ... CRAZY !!!

[@jolus6678]

I’m betting all that plastic could be used for something. What a waste.

[@teflerchina.2987]

Myanmar is the same and Thailand sends a lot of its waste to Myanmar either legally or illegally. The mix includes wrapping and containers for products ranging from Danone yoghurt to Polish company Spomlek's cheese. Items from German-owned UK supermarket Lidl and pasta packaging from Canada's Unico have also been found.

[@goa184]

thailand u have good tourism industry....dont spoil it

[@manuellaopao8036]

.....same here in Philippines

[@Siopaoko]

Gago nalinis na yung atin. Gago bobo walang alam.

[@misubi]

I live in Chiang Mai and the amount of single use food packaging is staggering. Everything from curries to deserts sold in baggies, then rebagged, with straws and untensils given with everything.

[@goyam2981]

Still better than foam boxes and cups I think.

[@goyam2981]

And now big convenience stores and supermarkets don't give out plastic bags anymore. For takeout food, with Covid a few years ago it's probably not a good idea to bring your own cup or container. This one is tough because people living in cheap apartments don't have kitchens or time to cook. Try to eat in when you can then.

[@Technobby]

Honestly, Thailand plastic management is a pity as one of developed country that has the lowest plastic recycling.

[@alos2099]

Ban one use plastic.

[@freespeech6670]

All governments should be held accountable for not taking care of thailand

[@shivaprakash9476]

Don’t ban plastic. When tourism and economy collapse you will automatically not be using plastic as it becomes unaffordable. Hell with ecology and nature

[@gregelliott5016]

Countries need to start recycling their own stuff by investing in equipment and whatever else that would help properly process everything

[@keatkhamjornmeekanon7616]

Bangkok Metropolitan Administration and volunteers have already recycled them, but they are too much.

[@voranartsirisubsoontorn]

Re-use re-cycle reduce in my every day life since problem started years ago, common sense to me.

[@electrum310]

From which country does the plastic come from ? NAMES, we want NAMES !

[@SuperMan-tz6vb]

The report started saying the venice of east and people dump their waste in the canal. Then they moved to import of plastic. To be clear here, Thai people are extremely hygiene friendly and organized people. The waste that they might be generating would be too low. The bigger issue is import of plastic.

[@warapornmahlman8603]

Thailand should stop import waste from abroad.

[@shmodzilla]

Are countries driving the plastic into cities and dumping it in the rivers? Cant even see the water in half the rivers in Thailand.

[@ketalegaming2572]

No plastic bottles should be product or import countryes where is no waste management or recycling.

[@phnx4life]

Excuse me...why isn't Thailand recycling like it is suppose to? Is recycling plastic still an issue to put into process? Why is only 25% recycled? Why is Thailand importing waste? You can even process plastic to produce a type of fuel-there are devices that can do this without emissions. There are several ways to recycle plastic effectively and even use the result as fuel, clothes (thank you Mr. Monk) or resealable plastic. Why not go back to glass bottles-easier to reuse and recycle? Why is the government importing plastic to begin with and why wait to 2025 to stop this? WTF is going on? This is 2024 not 1924, there are no longer any excuses. Laziness, carelessness and corruption are not excuses or reasons...

[@Anne.411]

Why did they ever invent plastic if it wasnt good for us and they can throw it away

[@frankcherry3810]

I was there when we went from paper to plastic. It was the environmentalists who pushed the idea. We were cutting down too many trees for grocery bags. We called them ‘Tree Huggers’

[@goyam2981]

Right now plastic and foam containers are cheaper than paper and banana leaves unfortunately.

[@Knudjensen54]

Somehow we forgot that plastic made of Hemp,will go away with no trace in nature,its all about money......

[@fransopdien2198]

The plastica is not imported but dumped and foreign companies pay for it

[@keangwooichoo6138]

I am malaysian, that is chicken feed compared to refugees on islands in sabah.

[@Truthseeker371]

Refuse, and recycle plastics. In Thailand alone, everyday numerous plastic cups, containers, and bags are thrown away in the fields and roadsides. Go to the cafe with your own cup. Shop with your own bags. Buy takeaway food with your container. Reducing plastics is the top priority.

[@gy2gy246]

There is no trash collection of ANY trash, or sewage. It's not just a plastic problem.

[@MySpace662]

That plastic waste can be utilized to pave the streets and highways.

[@pieromannino7524]

You can make fuel with a pyrolytic implant and sell it on the market as well

[@knoxtan325]

Educate the public and start with the younger generation about recycling and keeping the public spaces & waterways clean

[@richardcampbell7255]

Really unacceptable for him to blame people for not cleaning plastic waste when the real problem is the plastic industry that has irresponsibly forced hard or impossible plastic waste on people. Stop blaming people for systemic problems that government and industry need to solve.

[@RobertPahlavi-ko4gj]

Can we buy more plastic recycling machines for Thailand and subsidize with a $20 million donation per year for society benefit for life saving imports #bakertilly #thailand #kendell #uic

[@MagaMonkeysMovetoRussia]

I live in Pattaya and I don’t know why you say Thailand is drowning in foreign plastic when the Thai people hand out more plastic then Ive ever seen in my life.

[@stoomkracht]

True. That's Westerns way of saying how bad they are for exporting their waste and "recycling" (on paper only). Which is true too. However, Thailand has a huge issue with national waste management and recycling. There is no policy. And don't mention waste (or field or forrest) burning....🔥. Plastic is terrible and few seem to care.

[@subhamsaha2235]

Its a global problem, until unless we all become aware, this will not stop. Anyway, mother nature will soon show her power.

[@chrisyoung9194]

All over SE Asia, there are similar sights. Governments seem to ignore the issue...until things go sideways. Plastic waste is everywhere in Thailand. I live here and it's got far worse in the past decade. Trash depots are non existent....even bins are few and far between....in fact, the local "councils" allocate 40 gal bins to each house in some provinces....but these get used as water storage. Trash is a huge business.....along the highways, trucks can be seen waiting their turn to offload in a private waste facility. Indonesia, however, is far worse!

[@XmrsKC]

Not only plastic, I was in Koh Chang 2022 and found old batteries 🪫 in the sand on the beach 🏖️ All the beverages and food on the streets is to go, all plastics. 😢 Thai people need to change before they destroyed their own country. As a tourist if I have to pay more is ok if it’s good for environment 😊.

[@Mitchpdx123]

This plastic manufacturing companies are owned by billionaires. Why not make them clean up their product? Seems only fair if they make these things they should have to pick them up. There are other alternatives to plastics. There’s absolutely no reason for anybody in the world to keep creating plastic. And if they do, they should have to pick it up. World is tired of all this plastic.

[@oldmanJ]

There are not many bins in Thailand and many people just dispose of it anywhere, educate the people it's dirty,wrong and unhealthy. 40 years later maybe Thailand will not be a dirty messy eye sore.

[@น.อ.อภิชัยศิริขันธ์]

May I ask for permission to use your video clip in a teaser?

[@mphseason23]

The Government needs to force a change. Go to the UN, and tell them the waste is destroying our Planet, and its time for a Recycle program...Worldwide....Baby steps will lead to big changes in the future...In my opinion

[@2023gainer]

Fisker...FSR .Up 12 % Friday ..Ocean Suv EVs with increasing Europe and North America sales uses recycled ocean Plastics to construct parts of interior. 250 % increase in deliveries in 4 th quarter over 3rd quarter.

[@Randy1337]

Thailand is amazing

[@kewintaylor7056]

Plastic in Thailand isnt as much as in europe😂

[@maxfastest]

Repurpose the stuff ! Wow it's so simple

[@veldawells2839]

Every single country should be reducing and recycling their own waste and should not be exported abroad. It is NIMBY (Not In My Back Yard) attitude. No third world countries should be burdened with Western plastic and rubbish, especially when they do not have the infrastructure and people are paid extremely low wages. No country should be recycling other country's waste. Big subject here. Collaboration from every countries government's should address this issue. Make ALL polluters pay. Make a healthy environment law in every country. Wildlife is being impacted exponentially as well as humans - this being the bigger picture. All local, national and international businesses care about is making money, thus creating an unnecessary consuming and materialistic world, which WILL lead to oyr ultimate demise - if global war does not get their first!

[@rb8049]

But they are importing this plastic. It’s their choice.

[@buddhidev7877]

Government after the coup received wastes from abroad , so the policy must be changed.

[@DominoStorm1]

We’ll….looks like there’s no need for them to put the red and green can out every Monday anymore.

[@functionalvanconversion4284]

No fireworks or award ceremonies here. These are actually life's heros, don't get confused by the bull*^&$ hype.

[@arcticredpanda4598]

What is the issue with burning it? In Japan they burn it and capture to carbon and is used to enrich soil.

[@pachocharoenzo3678]

plastic is everywhere nowadays. Look around you and you will notice that you are surround by products made by plastic.

[@vladimirsintin821]

We some serious issues here in philippines😢

[@Jun-kr5tz]

SO many NGOs do their business in Thailand .,for living in Thailand. น่ารำคาญมาก

[@Philip-x3d]

wait till the used Wind Turbine blades arrive !!!!!

[@drinny26]

My supermarket sells peeled bananas wrapped in plastic. SMDH

[@goodfodder]

that’s disgraceful

[@jhunSebastian-t9t]

It's a business from the west. there are money allocate it but to small...and lastly the process .

[@adiposerex5150]

Humans need to drop the entitlement.

[@tl1533]

I am not surprised for all the plastic they use.

[@heartborne123]

strange, they used to flush all the trash into the ocean

[@jawon70]

Recycle. Its money

[@fiasco-08]

Thailand is falling without tourism, casinos, alcohol, lgbt, etc 😅

[@SN-uv4mh]

Yep😑

[@ig927]

Anyone who has benn to Thailand knows howmuch plastic and polythene they use in their day to day life, specially as food and drink carrying bags/box/containers. They Loveeeeeee their plastic/polythene

[@spaideman7850]

when a country is run by not-too-smart people

[@Paul-H-Wolfram6608]

No wonder when i visited Thailand last autumn, its was so hot and humid. The climate there was terrible.

[@donkeykong516]

Tourism overdrive

[@terror1234]

3 Wrold 😬 ...

[@TheOtherKine]

This is the beginning of the end of the world. That's why the rich and powerful are scrambling to improve space travel tech as fast as they can to get off this rock LMAO

[@GregLakatosChradm]

Make sure you thank the left for this mess.

[@aussienscale]

And so much of it from SE Asia ends up on Australian shores and beaches up north !!

[@Dr.Pranav_Lohiya]

West should stop preaching...you first look into your country😂😂

[@williamgoh6573]

Let it be. Other countries a billion x worse not shown.hede. so leti be.