Phuket signs three-year foam container-free MoU

PHUKET: Phuket Vice Governor Thawornwat Kongkaew yesterday (Mar 22) signed a three-year Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with various private sector and government agencies to stop using foam packaging.

Friday 23 March 2018, 05:07PM

Phuket Vice Governor Thawornwat Kongkaew (left centre) seen here at yesterday's (Mar 22) MoU signing. Photo: PR Dept

V/Gov Thavornwat led the MoU signing at Lime Light Avenue with the Phuket Marine Office, Phuket Tour Guide Association, Andaman Tour Guide Club, Thai – Chinese Tourism Association, Tourism business, Phuket Tour Guide Registration Office and various businesses in the private sector.

“Phuket is attraction for tourism which means more packaging is used continually. Everyone is responsible, and we have to be responsible also. Packaging for food has to be of high safety. So today, we are signing a three-year MoU to make Phuket 100% free of foam (polystyrene) containers,” said V/Gov Thawornwat.

“We have received great coordination from paper-packaging entrepreneurs, including Thai Paper and Biodegradable Packaging for Environment (BPE). It will help to produce environmentally-friendly packages at a fair price,” he added.

“Then the Phuket Provincial Public Health Office (PPHO) will follow up on the production progress of these organisations,” he said.

Meanwhile, PPHO Chief Dr Jirapan Taepan added, “The foam packages that are used for food are made out of black waste from petroleum refineries. It has long-term health effects.”

“Styrene is a carcinogen that causes three types of cancer, namely prostate cancer, breast cancer and liver cancer. Eating from foam packaging at least once a day for 10 years continuously increases the risk of cancer by six times,” Dr Jirapan warned.

At least 90% of the foam boxes dished out on Phuket will have been sourced from a Makro store. There's not really anywhere else to get them after all. So get Makro to stop selling them and you've almost irradicated the styrofoam menace over night. The traders still need boxes, along with everything else, so Makro wont be losing customers and they get a PR boost too.

As thai officials get a press microphone under their nose become a 'non thinking speaking waterfall', the public can learn a lot So, now we know that Thai government ( PPHO) is already YEARS aware of the health danger of plastics and foam packages. Talking about responsibility, reading about all the health dangers, why we get now only a just 3 years 'say no to Foam only' ? Huh?

Great idea, and I hope it takes hold. BUT...once again, pardon my cynical pessimism, but I really don't see it happening. Phuket officials are always big on blowing hot air, but pathetic when it comes to implementation and follow-up. The governor should also sign an immediate ban on burning this crap too, as my entire community reeked of burning plastic and styrofoam, which is much more toxic.

Phuket signs three-year foam container-free MoU

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