12 Million Plastic Bottles Saved… and Counting

by Leslie Finlay on 17/08/2017 No comments

As Trash Hero aims to change the behaviors that lead to unsustainable waste production, we strive to enable individuals and communities with the tools to do so.

Many regions of the world, particularly in Southeast Asia, have experienced a rapid growth of tourism that has left the capacity of local trash management far behind. The “Love Thailand” water bottles are just one tool available to curb unsustainable production of plastic bottles that will never break down fully in our environment. The program has been steadily growing since December 2014, first launched by the communities of Koh Lipe, Koh Lanta and Chaing Mai. Today, 14 locations in Thailand distribute the bottles.

Sold at cost price at cleanups, hotels and restaurants, distributors make a commitment to provide refilling stations where the Trash Hero bottles can be filled without charge. As of the end of July 2017, 33,000 bottles had been sold at 181 participating businesses throughout Thailand. This equates to more than 12 million plastic bottles that were not produced.

The success in Thailand spurred Trash Hero Indonesia’s interest to also supply the reusable bottles. The first order of 2,000 “Love Indonesia” Trash Hero bottles began distribution earlier this year.

Find out where you can get your own Trash Hero reusable bottle or how to become a participating business.

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Leslie Finlay12 Million Plastic Bottles Saved… and Counting

2 Years and 100 Cleanups in Ao Nang

by Amelia Meier on 26/02/2017 No comments

26 February 2017 – Trash Hero Ao Nang (Thailand)

This months marks two important milestones for Trash Hero Ao Nang: In the first week they celebrated their two-year anniversary, and now they’ve just completed their 100th cleanup!

In the words Seema, one of our most dedicated Trash Heros: “We have cleaned every week of those 2 years, with breaks only when the weather was so bad we couldn’t go out, or when major public holidays got in the way. Oddly, a lot of people still ask us why we do it. They ask us why w bother, when the trash is there again the next week. First off, we clean because we CAN. Why not do something good for our planet, if you can? Secondly, we do it because there is no better way of “educating” people about the impact of trash than to take them up and get them to pick it up. Our volunteers come from local communities, schools, or are tourists. They all experience first hand where litter goes, and they take that experience home. We’ve seen a change in behaviour in almost everybody who cleaned with us. It changes you.
Lastly, with weekly cleanups we make sure the issue of waste and its disposal is kept at the forefront of the local agenda. “Behind the scenes”, we’re constantly working on building relationships and creating positive, long-term solutions for the prevention of waste, because in the long run we have to stop producing it. These things however take time and “results” are not easy to show, but attitudes are definitely changing!”

THANK YOU to Trash Hero Ao Nang, all volunteers who have participated in cleanups there, and everyone who has supported their journey thus far and is eager to fulfill the mission of a cleaner Krabi – and a cleaner world. 
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Amelia Meier2 Years and 100 Cleanups in Ao Nang

#loveaonang

by Amelia Meier on 03/01/2016 No comments

03 January 2016

From our Trash Hero Ao Nang chapter:

What a year! It’s been an incredible journey, starting with a few black bags and a desire for change. Along the way, with the simple mission of a weekly beach cleanup, we have spread the message to local people, businesses, schools and government.
The beach is now cleaner (we’re collecting on average about half the amount of trash than this time last year); there are bins where there were none before; and thousands of people have shown their support for the Trash Hero movement.
This could not have happened without YOU! Trash Hero comes from and is part of the larger community and it is together that we make a difference. The movement celebrates its one year anniversary this weekend, and we’d like to say a huge thank you to everyone who has been a part of this change, and will continue to be part of it in the years ahead. #loveaonang

1 ปีของผู้พิชิตขยะอ่าวนาง พวกเราเริ่มต้นจากถุงดำไม่กี่ใบกับความตั้งใจที่อยากจะสร้างความเปลี่ยนแปลง เริ่มต้นง่าย ๆ กับภารกิจการเก็บขยะ 1 ครั้งต่อสัปดาห์ เราได้ริเริ่มสิ่งดี ๆ ส่งต่อความมุ่งมั่นนี้ให้แก่คนในท้องถิ่น ธุรกิจร้านค้า โรงเรียน และหน่วยงานราชการ

ชายหาดบ้านเราสะอาดขึ้น เปรียบเทียบจากจำนวนขยะที่เก็บได้ในปีนี้กับปีที่แล้ว มีการจัดถังขยะเพิ่มขึ้น และมีอาสาสมัครมากมายให้ความสนับสนุนกลุ่มผู้พิชิตขยะ

เรามีวันนี้ได้เพราะพวกคุณทุกคน พวกเราเกิดมาจากชุมชนและเป็นส่วนนึงของชุมชน เราสามารถสร้างความแตกต่างได้เมื่อพวกเราร่วมมือร่วมใจกัน

เราจะฉลองครบรอบ 1 ปีวันอาทิตย์นี้ และอยากถือโอกาสนี้ขอบคุณทุกคนจากใจที่ร่วมสนับสนุนกันตลอดปีที่ผ่านมาและจะร่วมเดินบนเส้นทางสายนี้ด้วยกันตลอดไป

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Amelia Meier#loveaonang