Krita Saetan, Mayor of Vichit, handed over the high-quality bags – each costing B100 – to the governor and to Jirasak Thummawet, head of the Phuket Energy office.
Mr Jirasak told The Phuket News, “Vichit Municipality is the first organisation to donate cotton bags to the project but Thepkrasattri Municipality have told us they will pay for 200 bags and Tesco-Lotus will be the first of the supermarket companies to contribute; they will donate B1.2 million for cotton bags this week.”
Others chipping in will include two hotels that will fund the Cherng Talay Municipality to produce bags, while 7-Eleven has requested a copy of the project logo so that it can produce cotton bags that it will distribute through its stores around the island.
The new SEEK Phuket Foundation (SEEK stands for Society, Environment, Economy, Knowledge) has been talking with giant businesses such as Siam Cement, Boonrawd Brewery, Kasikorn Bank and others to try to persuade them to contribute.
Mr Jirasak said, “We estimate that making 840,000 bags will cost between B30 to B40 million. We will start handing out bags on December 5. People who want to get a cotton bag (one per person) can go to Phuket Provincial Hall with their ID card or passport and 20 plastic bags to make the exchange.”
Starting from February 27 next year, large stores such as Central, Big C, Robinson, Jungceylon and Tesco will begin weaning the people of Phuket off plastic bags, by reserving one day a week on which no plastic bags will be handed out to shoppers.
Full details of how this will work will be announced closer to the time.