I visited Koh Tao off the coast of Southern Thailand in 1992. It was a quiet koh famous for its three beach island. The water was crystal clear, although the coral around the island was dead from fishing with poison and dynamite. I haven’t been back to Koh Tao since and I imagine that the tourist strain has punished the environment with a vengeance.
Residents finally reacted to the burden of 1000s of day-trippers with a plan to become plastic bag-less. The transition won’t be easy for Thais love to carry their take-away cokes in plastic bags, however the islanders are overwhelmed by the daily onslaught of 6 tonnes, 9% of which is unrecyclable trash.
“If successful, our small island could be a role model for the rest of the country, especially in tackling garbage and environmental problems,” Marine scientist Thorn Thamrongnawasaw-asdi told The Nation. The trash is also taking toll on the marine life as turtles mistake plastic bags for jelly fish no matter how hard local enviromentalists teach the turtles that plastic bags are trash.
I wish them luck with their efforts and ask any readers to join the cause. Get a cotton bag for shopping and bring tupperware for your take-outs and stop using plastic forks and knives. It’s probably a waste of time and effort, but you never know.
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