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Thailand is bidding a beautiful farewell to plastic 

By Woo Da-jeong
(Writer; columnist on Daum Brunch; foreign resident in Bangkok)

Thailand has long been known as the “land of smiles.” It’s easy to see where this moniker came from simply by walking through the streets, where Thailand’s optimistic, laid-back citizens will greet even strangers with the traditional Thai posture of gathering one’s hands together before one’s stomach while saying “wai.” Another phrase you will hear very frequently is “Mai pen rai (“thank you” or “don’t mention it”).” There is one instance, however, in which their smiles do not feel “mai pen rai” in spirit: when providing (mostly unnecessary) disposable plastic bags or straws. 

   In Thailand, garbage is still disposed free of charge. Plastic bags are provided free of charge at supermarkets, traditional outdoor markets, and convenience stores. If deemed necessary, purchases are divided into multiple plastic bags—sometimes in several layers if what has to be carried is heavy. Restaurants always serve water and beverages with a straw, with cold take-out beverages offered with a disposable plastic handle. All of this, of course, is a show of the Thai peoples’ generosity, which is as broad as their smiles. 

   Recently, Thailand’s use of plastic has begun to change in noticeable ways. The Thai government’s “Roadmap on Plastic Waste Management (2018-2030)” began to be implemented, resulting in reduced use of disposable plastic in favor of increased use of the recyclable kind. In exfoliating products, household product manufacturers are replacing microplastic, a primary cause of environmental pollution, with organic materials. On April 1, 2018, major bottled water manufacturers stopped covering bottle caps with a plastic seal. This measure was participated in completely voluntarily by manufacturers because of the reduced cost of not having to use seals. Today, plastic seals have mostly disappeared from the Thai market. 

   Such bold government regulations were followed by voluntary participation in plastic-reducing efforts by the citizenry. Starting in January, approximately 25,000 retail stores (supermarkets, department stores, convenience stores, etc.) stopped using plastic bags altogether. Banners from the “Say No to Plastic Bags” campaign were hung from cash registers: in lieu of disposable plastic bags, stores encourage customers to use a reusable bag. In the first round of the plastic regulation campaign, carried out from 2018 through 2019, the number of plastic bags issued decreased by about 2 billion. With plastic bags banned in all sectors starting in 2020, the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment expects plastic bag use to decrease by approximately 45 billion by December.

    Thailand’s capital city of Bangkok is as full of hot-spots as Seoul. One of them, the “refill shop,” is a leader of a plastic-free consumer culture. Customers bring their own containers to a refill shop, where they take as much of the (unpackaged) items as they need and pay for them based on weight. Refill shops sell rice, spaghetti, nuts, cereal, cooking oil, dried fruit, powder for making bread or noodles, and spices as well as non-food products like shampoo, conditioner, diffusers, laundry detergent, and soap. After paying, the receipt is sent to the customer paper-free via email—which is also part of Thai citizens’ efforts to protect the environment. 

   Before, when shopping at a supermarket, I would say “Mai pen rai” to the employee offering me several plastic bags, to which the employee would invariably respond with their own “Mai pen rai”—while smiling—which made it difficult to decide whether or not to accept the offered bags. It’s wonderful to see that Thailand is letting go of its love of plastic bags while keeping up their beautiful smiles.

This content of this article may differ from the editorial direction of the ASEAN Culture House Monthly.