Reduce Plastic Bottle Waste w/ Trash Hero Koh Phangan, Thailand
Plastic bottle waste is an ever-growing problem. Thankfully, Trash Hero World is doing something about it.
Trash Hero is a world wide organization working to reduce waste through education, action, and sustainable community projects.
Trash Hero is now selling reusable stainless steel water bottles which can be refilled FOR FREE at any of their partnering businesses.
We learned about this program on Koh Phangan, Thailand, where there are already over 40 free refill locations.
Every time you refill your bottle you're helping to reduce plastic bottle waste. How great is that?
Trash Hero also organizes frequent beach cleanups and other susainable projects in each of their active communities. Check out https://trashhero.org to find a cleanup near you.
If you can't find a Trash Hero chapter in your area, why not start one yourself? Visit Trashhero.org for more info!
Posted by Local Nomads on Friday, June 8, 2018
PLASTIC WASTE IS AN EVER-GROWING PROBLEM IN SOUTHEAST ASIA, AND THE WORLD.
Many beaches (and towns) are littered with plastic bottles, bags, cups and packaging which represents just a tiny fraction of the plastic lurking within the adjacent sea. Even though many areas are contributing their own waste removal methods, there is always new trash floating onto the shore from nearby islands and cities.
SO HOW DO WE REDUCE THE AMOUNT OF PLASTIC WASTE WE'RE CREATING?
In most of Southeast Asia, the tap water is undrinkable, leaving travelers and locals no choice but to consume bottled plastic water. Even if you typically carry a reusable bottle, there are very few places to refill them without buying a plastic bottle.
While we’ve mentioned a few awesome plastic reduction initiatives in the past, many of them are focused on plastic bag reduction, or clean up initiatives, but everyone needs water to survive... so we keep buying bottles.
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When we returned to our favorite island in the Gulf of Thailand, Koh Phangan, we were excited to hear about their island wide collaboration with Trash Hero, and their effort to reduce the amount of plastic bottles on the island.
Trash Hero is developing a network of businesses throughout Southeast Asia who have agreed to refill Trash Hero water bottles for free.
Trash Hero provides their stainless steel bottles to retailers at cost price who resell them to customers at a small profit, which partially offsets the cost of the water they provide.
On Koh Phangan, you can buy a refillable bottle for 220 baht from any participating retailer.
That’s only $6 for a quality stainless steel bottle, that you can refill for free an infinite amount of times.
They’ve even partnered up with some of the hotels on the island to provide Trash Hero bottles for their guests during their stay! So visitors won’t even have to worry about staying hydrated, and environmentally friendly!
Once you’ve got your bottle, you can fill up for free at any participating location. And there are many of them! Over 40 just on Koh Phangan. What’s even cooler is, you can take that bottle with you and fill it up in many other destinations.
The Trash Hero network is growing with new businesses partnering up all the time. You can fill your bottle from Koh Phangan, all the way down to Bali, parts of Malaysia, and even places in New York and Switzerland!
So really, one Trash Hero bottle can save you A LOT on plastic bottle purchases. Every time you refill you’ll be reducing potential ocean waste by one bottle.
DOESN'T THAT FEEL AWESOME?!
Trash Hero isn’t just focusing on water bottles though, their main mission is to spread the message and reduce waste without putting blame or pointing fingers, but by coming together as a community to do good together.
They work to promote the use of reusable shopping bags, so you can SAY NO to plastic bags, they educate and promote new recycling methods, using plastic waste to create sturdy building materials like ECO bricks, and bringing communities together for clean ups in a positive light to work together and make the world a cleaner, friendlier place.
So while you’re on Koh Phangan or in Southeast Asia, you can also help out by joining a Trash Hero cleanup.
Not only will you feel good about giving back to a local community, you’ll meet some really cool people who feel passionate about our planet.
Beach cleanups are happening all the time so check out the TRASHHERO.ORG or Facebook Pages to find a cleanup near you!
Since buying our bottles, Gabby and I have been able to significantly reduce our plastic bottle waste by utilizing the network of Trash Hero partners all over Asia.
Not to mention, refilling them at the airport for free. We no longer have to relinquish our water bottle at the security check and feel forced to buy a plastic bottle at expensive airport prices.
If you’re interested in buying a trash hero bottle, you can find a list of refill locations here.
Do you want to bring Trash Hero to your corner of the world?
Want more information about beach cleanups and other ways to volunteer?
CHECK OUT TRASHHERO.ORG FOR MORE DETAILS
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