Thread: Tourists to blame for Thailand's litter problems

Tourists will be encouraged to visit national parks on week days and take their garbage with them when they leave

OFFICIALS plan to tackle the excessive amount of litter at national parks by implementing garbage disposal measures and limiting the number of tourists during holiday periods.

Witthaya Navapramod, director of the National Parks Office, said the National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation Department acknowledges the garbage problem in national parks and has come up with projects to reduce and recycle garbage at sites where there are problems.

The Department of Health had earlier reported an overwhelming amount of garbage at national parks and other tourist destinations. Some top attractions, such as Doi Inthanon National Park, accumulated many tonnes of garbage during the New Year holiday last year.

"National parks around the country have 59 incinerators that can burn up to 800 kilograms of garbage per day. However, this method cannot deal with all the garbage and it also causes pollution of its own," Witthaya said.

So, projects have been introduced to reduce the waste left or created by visitors.



"One of our projects is the 'Garbage Return Home' project, which encourages tourists to take their garbage with them when they return home and reduce our burden to deal with garbage in national parks," he said.

The project was very successful after being introduced last year, he said. About 160 tonnes of garbage was collected by 93,000 tourists from over 100 national parks that participated in the programme.

"A survey of the participants' satisfaction with the project revealed that 62 per cent of them were very satisfied. This indicates that the majority of tourists who travel to national parks love nature and are ready to help us tackle the garbage problem," he said.

Nat Khongkesorn, head of the Similan Islands Marine National Park, said the national park implemented a garbage-free policy two years ago to encourage tourists to take their garbage back with them and plastic food containers were banned in the park.

"We are closely monitoring guided tours to the islands. Last week, we hosted a seminar for tour operators to Similan in order to instruct them about the rules of the national park, security and also the management of waste generated by tourists," Nat said.

He said the Similan Islands park has a points system for all tour operators. If they violate the rules, such as littering or feeding the fish, marks are deducted and they will be prevented from entering the park if their score falls below 60 per cent.

To address the garbage and water pollution problem on Ko Tachai, the park closed food stalls on the island and banned tourists from bringing in food in order to allow the island's ecosystem to recover.

Tachai Island had previously suffered from an excessive amount of garbage from hordes of tourists who severely damaged the island's fragile ecosystem.

"Not only have we enforced strict regulations on tourism, we are also planning to limit the number of tourists according to the carrying capacity of each island. But we have to wait for the official calculation from the department," he said.

Witthaya also noted that the large number of tourists during high season was a major factor that exacerbated the garbage problem.

"We are trying to limit the number of tourists in national parks during holiday periods by encouraging them to travel during weekdays or to go to less crowded tourist destinations nearby," he said.

To that end, the department has come out with a half-price discount promotion for tourists who travel to every national park on weekdays. Information about nearby tourist sites is also provided to tourists in order to even out the average number of tourists that visit popular places and less crowded places.

"The problem is many people only know a few famous tourist destinations, so these spots are always crowded on long weekends. Therefore, if we inform people that there are a lot interesting attractions nearby, they can go to those places instead and it will reduce the burden of well-known parks to deal with garbage," he said.

Agencies to clean up parks with litter plan - The Nation

Nice picture of a litter lout backpacker

The entrance fees for non-Thais should be doubled to help finance the litter collection and disposal.

Returning garbage to the people, yes.

I've never seen a Thai dumping rubbish

Goddamn Foreigners...

And I walk for a mile looking for a trash can, while seeing some dump it right out from car window. Thais I would imagine. Environment isn't a priority for some.

Originally Posted by Kurgen

I've never seen a Thai dumping rubbish

Originally Posted by thaimeme

Goddamn Foreigners...

So Thai's don't dump rubbish, right got that!

Has to be aliens, Thais don't throw their rubbish away, even if there is a fire to throw it on within easy reach.

The dirty fcukers have no concern for the environment. Here is my village dump that is now closed due to being full. No hole, just pile the shit in a heap. Dirty people.

Tourists can also be of the domestic variety

Originally Posted by Jesus Jones

I just love the way the Thais bundle their crap into a bag and lob it out of the car window. Not too long ago I was inches from a coke bag being planted in my face while making a u-turn. While the guy apologized I gave him long evils! __________________

Get behind a school bus on the way back home. More litter flying out of that bus than can be imagined. Papers, boxes, bottles and cans are regularly tossed out by the kids. The next thing to pigs and no love for nature either.

If "Littering" ever becomes an Olympic event, Thailand will do well.

Visit China for a wider variety of trash thrown from trains, Thailand is so ig and green they've hardly approached the filthiness of Sri Lanka or the ragheads

Depends who they class as tourists, Thais are by far the greatest number of visitors to any national park and the biggest dumpers of rubbish, I have however seen where park staff have eaten their food and chucked the containers away.

"Take nothing but photos and leave nothing but footprints"

I was always dismayed how the Thais treat their own beloved country like a rubbish tip.

I can't comment about tourist trap areas, as I was not a tourist there and didn't frequent those areas (national parks, etc) to notice who was littering...

But in the general public, it certainly clearly was the Thais who I saw littering... I don't recall in 10 + years ever seeing a tourist litter... (not saying it never happened mind)...

Straight up lads... don't the Thais accept responsibility for anything negative anymore? are they beyond reproach now??

You must see my Klong when it starts raining.

We even get pieces of furniture coming through.

Thais although physically a very clean race are filthy and uncaring when it comes to disposing of their garbage.

^ With that last statement, you had to be taking the piss right.

Not you LT NZ dick.

Anyone who thinks Thais give a fuck about littering has never been to Phi Phi.

Originally Posted by Lantern

So Thai's don't dump rubbish, right got that!

Not all tourists are foreign. The vast majority who go to the National Parks are Thai.

If you get off the main road's there are plenty of rubbish dumped in piles as in the pictures,, But saying that, general'y Thai's are ok and littering I didn't think a big problem..As for tourist littering, wouldn' t be a major reason for litter
On the beaches,, maybe

Originally Posted by david44

Visit China for a wider variety of trash thrown from trains, Thailand is so ig and green they've hardly approached the filthiness of Sri Lanka or the ragheads

I'll up you one mate.

Go to India and observe the Indian way of dealing with Rubbish. They sweep the shit straight out the train door.

Along with the shit, piss and rubbish the Train tracks throughout the country are a fookin horrid mess. Shit from one end of the country to the other.

On my last tour 3 years ago it was overwhelming.

I think that's me done after 5 trips there, first in 88.

Regarding rubbish in Thailand it's the retard locals that pollute this country and most tourists are educated in trying to stash their rubbish.

I've seen one coont dumping his Oil change into crystal clear waters.

The Chinese simply do not give a fuk though, far more fuked up then Somchai.