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Phuket - December 2009
New govt. initiative to reduce
plastic bag usage in Phuket
Thailand Property Report
´Keep Phuket Clean´ – a grass roots community
clean-up programme created by the ´Summer in Phuket´
campaign received a major boost by the Government who are
initiating a 2 baht per plastic shopping bag charge for
all major retailers in Phuket including Central,
Jungceylon, Big C, Tesco Lotus, starting on December 5.
There will be a major campaign launch with the Governor of
Phuket in December at Central where over 500 people will
celebrate this important shift in policy strategy that
will aim to reduce plastic bag usage by 50 percent within
the first twelve months.
Plastic bags in Phuket are a major component of today’s
throw away society, and are emblematic of a garbage crisis
in Phuket. Each and every day Phuket generates around 500
tonnes of garbage, with around half incinerated and half
going to a landfill.
With a new incinerator two years away, and forecasts of up
to 1,000 tonnes per day by 2015 it is critical that Phuket
embraces a change in attitude towards waste, and this
change is fully supported by local government, retailers
and consumers.
About 70 percent of Phuket´s tourists come from countries
that have implemented a plastic bag reduction strategy.
The initiative is therefore expected to be viewed
internationally as a positive move.
Plastic bags clog drains causing flooding, catch water
when loose in the environment and breed mosquitoes,
increasing Dengue and Chikungunya disease. In the water
are eaten by marine life such as dolphins and turtles
rapidly diminishing what few marine animals are left in
the Phuket area and polluting our tourism destinations
such as Phi Phi and Phang Nga Bay.
Organisers of the next island-wide Keep Phuket Clean
effort, along with the Governor´s support, will hold a
massive pre-high season Island Wide ´Big Cleanup Day´ on
December 4.
The Keep Phuket Clean community outreach programme’s goal
– using education and private sector support – is to make
the Phuket residents, hotels, small businesses and
tourists more aware of the island’s fragile eco-system and
the impact that we have on its flora, fauna and
surrounding waters and marine reserves.
Also, as part of the Summer in Phuket campaign, the Keep
Phuket Clean programme provides an opportunity to spread
positive messages about Phuket to the world.
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