The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) is working together with
local stakeholders and tourists on Ko Samui to eliminate the use of
single-use plastics and encourage all to reduce waste, reuse and recycle
to help protect the island’s ecosystem.
The local authorities on Ko Samui are proactively campaigning for
recycling and waste management, urging residents and business operators
to separate their waste for recycling to reduce the amount of garbage
produce on the island.
Mr. Yuthasak Supasorn, TAT Governor, said, “Education and awareness
are the keys to success for this initiative. TAT proactively encourages
both tourists and tourism businesses to help reduce tourism waste on the
paradise island of Samui.
“Changing behaviour doesn’t happen overnight. We are seeing an
increase in reusable cloth bags when shopping, and both visitors and
residents are pitching in to do their part and help keep the island
clean.”
Waste reduction thinking is quickly gaining traction amongst
environmentally concerned Thai businesses and globetrotters on Ko Samui.
With some of the most stunning landscapes in Thailand, it is little
wonder that visitors to Ko Samui continue to increase at an astonishing
pace. With this influx comes a need to find a balance between high
levels of service and environmental impacts. Fortunately, as attention
has turned to exploring ways to preserve the island’s delicate
ecosystem, travellers can give back to the local Thai community by
creating less waste and leaving a minimal holiday footprint.
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Local stores and shops on the island are campaigning against
single-use plastics. Hotels and resorts as well as tourism-related
businesses on Ko Samui are also helping to lead the way on responsible
waste management by following the three ‘R’ principle: reduction, reuse
and recycle. Luxury resorts on Ko Samui were among the first to
introduce the plant-based straw revolution that is sweeping across
Thailand and are endeavoring to make their tourism operations more
sustainable.
One spearhead organisation is the ‘Trash Hero Ko Samui’ initiative,
whose volunteers meet every Saturday at 10 a.m. to clean Samui’s
beaches.
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Under the TAT’s on-going responsible tourism strategy, a new ‘Travel
Thailand in Style, Reduce Plastic Waste’ collaboration initiative with
various stakeholders was launched in August this year. It has an
ambitious target to cut tourism-related waste by up to 50 percent by
2020.
Targeting both tourists and businesses to address waste problems in
key travel destinations, the TAT also encourages use of reusable or
sustainable items; such as, plant-based drinking straws instead of
plastic straws, cotton bags instead of plastic bags, water tumblers
instead of plastic bottles, and reusable food utensils instead of
single-use plastic or foam items.
Back in March 2017, TAT partnered with PTT Global Chemical and the
Ecoalf Foundation to launch an ‘Upcycling the Oceans, Thailand’
initiative. It made Thailand the first country in Asia to join the
global ocean clean-up effort to reduce debris along the country’s
coastal regions, especially in popular tourist areas on the east coast,
in the Gulf of Thailand and the Andaman Sea.
Source - TheNation
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