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Thailand Banned Plastic Bags And Now People Are Going Viral For Their Creative Alternatives
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Thailand Banned Plastic Bags And Now People Are Going Viral For Their Creative Alternatives

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January 10, 2020

Plastic use has always been a big issue in Asia.

In fact, China, Indonesia, Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam together are responsible for more than half of the world’s plastic waste in the ocean, according to a 2017 Ocean Conservancy report. As the world has shifted to a more environmentally-friendly approach, different countries have begun to cut down on single-use plastic consumption.

Last year, Indonesia officially banned single-use plastic bags, straws and polystyrene in an attempt to reduce plastic pollution. Following in Indonesia’s footsteps, Thailand has enforced a similar rule in 2020. As of the 1st of January, department and convenience stores have banned the use of plastic bags.

In response to the ban, people in Thailand have started getting very creative with how they carry their goods home.

Siam Sarachino, a Thai student now living in London, shared some of the hilariously inventive plastic bag alternatives on Twitter. His main tweet included photos of vessels like a huge vase, a hanging clothes organiser, a wheelbarrow, and, everyone’s favourite, an empty giant sugar bag.

The woman with the woven sack has stolen everyone’s heart for not only being environmentally-friendly, but for somehow being fashionable at the same time.

The images came from Facebook page @rovmaira who uploaded the photos to demonstrate the “positive response to Thailand’s ‘Everyday Say No to Plastic Bags’ campaign.”

The album, with around 70 photos, has been shared over 100,000 times on Facebook where people are praising everyone’s inventiveness in response to the new rules. Under Siam’s tweet, people started uploading other photos from the album that they thought deserved some more recognition.

While some bag alternatives were more practical than others, the Thai approach to the plastic ban is being praised online. Despite single-use plastic being such a huge part of Thai culture, people Thailand managed to quickly adapt to the change.

Honestly, the rest of the world (especially Australia) can take note on how to adapt to change with humour and a positive attitude.

This article was originally published on Junkee.

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