Our amazing Trash Hero chapters are always going the extra mile to involve their communities. In Trang Province in Thailand, the team have recently launched a campaign to “bring your own” reusable bottle, bag, cutlery or container when out shopping or ordering takeaway food.

Their aim is to persuade local businesses – and not just the usual suspects like hip coffee shops, but market stalls and travelling street vendors, too – to offer a discount to any customer who brings a reusable container to take home their products, avoiding the use of a disposable, single-use plastic equivalent.

So far more than 30 vendors have signed up to the scheme, offering discounts of anything from 5 baht (15¢) to 10% off your purchase.

Jean-Luc, one of the Trash Hero Trang leaders (pictured top), reported a positive response to their efforts, saying “the issue [of plastic pollution] is now very big in Thailand. As well as being concerned personally, shop owners understand this initiative is another way to attract customers and also save costs”.

If you’re visiting Trang, check out the list of participating businesses on the Facebook link here : https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.2188193051253079&type=1&l=e40f0258ee – and don’t forget to bring your containers!

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It’s been an extraordinary month for Trash Hero in Thailand.

We were delighted to see the Prime Minister of Thailand, Prayut Chan-ocha, highlight the growing problem of plastic waste within the kingdom on his weekly address to the nation. His second report on the topic, broadcast across all channels on 10 August 2018, outlined the various measures being implemented to tackle the crisis, as well as encouraging all stakeholders to do their part to help.

During this segment, Mr Chan-ocha drew attention to the activities of Trash Hero, whose volunteers have worked tirelessly to bring issues of waste – and the solutions – to the forefront of public awareness over the past four years.

The Prime Minster held Trash Hero up as an example for the country’s youth and for the power of people working together. After presenting our latest waste collection figures to the country, he also asked a pertinent question, saying “these results were achieved by only 100,000 people. If all 60 million citizens would join in, how big would the impact be?”

Trash Hero is honoured by this recognition and support for our work and approach.

Shortly after the broadcast, we had the opportunity to meet both the Prime Minister and the Deputy Education Minister of Thailand in person at events in Chumphon Province.

On 20 August 2018, Clin. Prof. Udom Kachintorn, the Deputy Minister of Education, visited Ban Hin Kob to see the work of six local schools taking part in the Trash Hero Kids program – the highlight of which was a dramatisation of our story book by Year 4 and 5 students from Ban Don Takian School. The play was well received by the Minister and we presented him with a Trash Hero gift bag containing our shirt, bottle and kids’ books.

The following day, representatives of Trash Hero Chumphon, Trash Hero Kids and Trash Hero World were invited, along with other community groups, to King Mongkut’s Institute of Technology Ladkrabang (Chumphon campus), to meet the Prime Minister. He spoke warmly of Trash Hero, and posed for photos with many of our young volunteers.

We were able to convey information about our activities, not only to the PM’s aides, but to other government ministers and provincial governors who were also present. In a direct conversation we thanked Mr Chan-ocha for his support and assured him that we are ready to work together with all parties to increase engagement and cooperation on tackling plastic pollution at the source.

Trash Hero Thailand currently has 27 active chapters and is registering as a legal entity.

Picture credits: ไทยคู่ฟ้า, PMDU and A. Nestcharat Photography

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