The first 7-Eleven goes plastic bag free on Koh Tao in Thailand!

7-Eleven stores in Thailand give away an incredible amount of plastic with purchases made there, especially plastic bags to carry groceries. Plastic bags are not the only a big problem for the environment worldwide, but they are a particularly big problem in tourist locations close to the ocean. So now, finally, on the Island of Koh Tao the first 7-Eleven is going Plastic Bag free to help conserve our paradise.

Shocking amounts of single-use plastic at 7-Eleven

I remember well when I arrived for the very first time in Thailand how surprised I was to see so many 7-Elevens in Bangkok. I am from The Netherlands and had never heard about the 7-Eleven brand before; in Bangkok you have one every few 100 metres, in every street!

I was tired after my flight to Bangkok, so I decided to buy a small energy drink and some gum. To my amazement these tiny items were given to me in a plastic bag inside another plastic bag; then without even asking me, the 7-Eleven cashier threw in 2 plastic straws…also wrapped in plastic!

This blew my mind as I just wanted to drink up straight away and put the gum in my pocket. So, in a friendly way, I refused the plastic bags and straws creating genuine surprise on the staff member’s face. When I then went outside and looked back into the shop, I saw that this was happening for every purchase! Pointless single-use plastic was given freely to every customer and I quickly learnt that this was happening in every 7-Eleven store in Thailand… This was more than a decade ago and there are over 10,000 7-Eleven stores in Thailand. Try to imagine the unbelievably huge number of plastic bags across the country given out to every customer in all that time…

Koh Tao: reducing plastic waste

Koh Tao is one of the most beautiful Islands in the world and it is one of the main destinations for people to learn how to Scuba Dive. This attracts an incredible number of tourists every year which, inevitably, creates even more waste. For this reason, the government, locals, expats and businesses on Koh Tao have joined forces to spread awareness, educate tourists, reduce single-use plastic, organise beach and reef clean ups and a lot, lot more.

Almost every Dive Centre on Koh Tao is now reducing or banning single-use plastic and every day a new bar or restaurant is banning or reducing the use of plastic straws. Some companies are even 100% single-use plastic free!

Besides all those great Dive Centres, Hotels, Restaurants, Hostels and Bars having gone plastic free we also needed the supermarkets to stop offering plastic bags. Since some time now our dreams have come true and one after another, local Thai supermarkets are going plastic bag free – refusing to give plastic bags and instead and asking customers to bring reusable bags. The success has been incredible, and everyone is loving it, especially the tourists. Nowadays, most people want to travel in the Eco-Friendliest way possible.

But the main hurdle has always been 7-Eleven and their handing out of so much single-use plastic…until now!

The main 7-Eleven on Koh Tao is now one of the first 7-Eleven stores in Thailand to refuse to give plastic bags to their customers! Only if you purchase hot food will you get a plastic bag to carry it in and only then if you request one. For any other item you need to bring your own reusable bag, or you can purchase a 7-Eleven reusable bag for only 15 THB (less than 50 cents in USD).

This has been great news for Koh Tao meaning that Koh Tao is now truly a leader in reducing single-use plastic, inspiring other locations to do the same.

Eco Conservation Organisations on Koh Tao

Beside all these companies mentioned, Koh Tao has many eco conservation organisations that have been very successful over the years, and every year Koh Tao is creating more and more conservation projects.

The oldest conservation organisation on Koh Tao is Save Koh Tao. Not only are almost all companies here affiliated with Save Koh Tao, the government also works closely together with them. The biggest environmentally friendly changes on Koh Tao have happened because of the incredible results achieved by Save Koh Tao working alongside local government.

Another amazing Eco Organisation is Get Involved Koh Tao. This organisation joins forces with many Dive Centres and businesses every month to organise “Eco Day”. On Eco Day they present conservation lectures to locals, tourists, Divemasters and Diving Instructors on how they can help and inspire others to travel in a more eco-friendly way. After these presentations they organise a massive Beach and Reef Clean up and together with an organisation called CoralGardening they are building a new artificial reef.

Get Involved Koh Tao also works closely together with Trash Hero, another incredible organisation focusing on reducing worldwide use of plastic bottles and organising clean-ups in many different countries. On Koh Tao more than 40 companies are now supplying free drinking water to people with a Trash Hero reusable Eco Bottle.

Also Sea Shepard, Shark Guardian, Project AWARE and many other organisations are very active on Koh Tao, working to preserve this amazingly beautiful Island.

Spread the word of reducing plastic bags in stores

Even with 7-Eleven going plastic bag free on Koh Tao there is much more to do, and we need your help! Please help by sharing this blog and asking your local supermarkets and especially your local 7-Eleven to ban plastic bags and only offer reusable bags in their place. Of course, 7-Eleven is an amazing company (I shop with them almost every day) but giving away so many plastic bags is just pointless and so terribly bad for the environment. I believe that when all 7-Elevens in Thailand go plastic bag free it will create a ripple effect that will change the way we shop in many more locations around the world!

Personally I am so grateful to live in Amazing Thailand and be part of, and witness to, Thai people and Foreigners alike doing more for the environment than in many other tourist locations, effecting radical change in a very short amount of time. Thailand you are truly beautiful, and I believe maybe soon, one of the leaders in Eco Conservation and Eco Tourism.

If you agree with this article, please “Like” & “Share” it on your social media.

Marcel van den Berg

PADI Platinum Course Director

Sairee Cottage Diving

Koh Tao, Thailand

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