Retail – Food Consumer Waist Problem & Solution: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle
Similar to retailers’ initiative to reduce plastic bag distribution in places like Germany and Holland, major retailers on the tropical Thai island of Phuket plan to start charging customers for bags in hopes of tackling the island’s infamous waist dilemma. Frankly, a ‘start’ is all that such a decree can qualify to be.
While arguably an initiative for some consumers to start developing a sense for reusing, revenue seeking fractions of such two-fold environmentally capitalizing legislation is only starting to tap the tip of this iceberg’s much larger problem. Even more worrisome and urgent than retail packaging waste is an over-neglected burden of food packaging.
Walk into a 7-11, Family Mart, 108 Shop, or any other mini mart or supermarket in any part of the country, and the only way you won’t walk out without at least one bag, no matter how small your purchase was, e.g. a pack of gum, bag of chips-crisps, etc., is if you outright declare to the clerk, “No bag, please! Mai Tawng Sai Tung krup (ka)! ไม่ต้องใส่ถุงครับ (ค่ะ)”
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