Article
by Steve Martin - asiadreams@gmail.com
........................................................
-Beach
cleanup was 60 to 70 people
-150 to
170 bags of trash collected
-Low/rainy/green
season... rebranding as “summer season”
-Annualize the
season
-My photos: only half of the trash, the
other half was taken away already
Trash piled up near the police station
and the kamala Beach Hotel
.......................................................
Phuket green cross beach clean
We need your help and Kamala beach needs your help....
Date:
Sunday, May 10, 2009
Time:
3:00pm - 6:00pm
Location:
Meet at Smile beach bar Kamala beach, Phuket
Phone:
0819560337
Email:
karl@beautifulworldthailand.com
Description
A core group of local businesses including Beautiful World,
IndigoRE,HMSP,Andara,Cape Sienna,Rockfish,Courtyard and Lotus
Trinity are looking at ways to clean up Kamala beach which now in
low season is unbelievably trashed.
So bring some gloves,friends,beers,BIN BAGS,rakes and we will
have a laugh and get clearing trash. We will try to do our bit
for the environment. just maybe by us been on the beach cleaning
it may set a good example to the locals...this is the first of a
few cleaning ideas we have for Kamala beach. we need your help so
pass this event to any friends you have in Phuket. Please only
people who are serious about joining us should add their
attendance.Feel free to add yourself as a maybe and write on the
wall to show your support.
Park up at the beach car park of Kamala police station and walk
to the right 100m and you will find us at Smile beach bar.
.......................................................
Lutz
Mueller
Courtyard Marriott
GM
-“summer
in Phuket”... image shift
-A
community-based get together (a Kamala community effort)
-Long
term solution to keeping the beaches clean
-Winter
takes care of itself, but summer is when the problem is
evident
-“I was
showing a potential client the beach, it was so dirty [rubbish]
that it was embarrassing.”
-3
sources of trash:
·
Local
businesses
·
BBQ/Picnickers/park
users
·
From the
sea
-We
need a system in place, such as adequate trash bins and removal.
Often the trash is left in bags near a full trash can overnight
and dogs may tear it up and spread the trash around again.
-Marriott
hope to do something educational
-Currently,
the courtyard at Kamala does their own recycling and they use the
money from recycling for activities/events
-We are
open to support the cleanup; not by guests but by the Associates.
....................................................
-Phuket
Green Cross
...they
got/need the support of the local government [obathaw]/police
-Ajarn
“Yout” is the obathaw
-Jenny
(Joob’s friend)
....................................................
Richard from Rock Fish
Restaurant
(Aussie)
-Trash
collected today:
·
Bottle
tops
·
Plastic
bottle tops
·
Cordage
(thin ropes of sorts)
·
Strapping
material
·
Fishing
stuff
·
Straws
-Beach
cleanup culture is strong in Australia, we grew up with it
-Education
is the key, it may take a generation
.........................................................
Karl Grham &
Nick
-Organizer/instigator
of this event
-(Nick
said the trash all comes from India) [it was a guess]
-Khun
Karl said a lot of stuff comes from the fishermen
-See
photos on facebook
-“Keep
Kamala Clean Committee”
-Phuket
Green Cross
·
Most of the
trash is local
·
Good excuse
to keep the beach clean
·
Galvanize
the community
·
Involve the
government
·
Doesn’t
look good for tourists
·
The ocean
is full of garbage
·
It’s a
beach by beach job
·
Clean
sells
Organizations
involved:
·
Courtyard
·
Amanda
·
Cape
Siena
·
Kamala
Beach Hotel
·
Local
businesses
·
Police
·
Obathaw
-Looking
for long-term sponsors
-Beach
cleaning device
-A
manager from the Chedi got involved (named Nick ___ )
Trash
collected includes:
·
2
syringes
·
“Ya Dom” (a
type of snuff)
·
Lighters
·
Plastics
·
Bags
Large
rocks at the south end came in with Tsunami... perhaps move them
with a dozer... perhaps build a wall...
...................................................
Web
cams on the beach
...................................................
Luke
Remmers
-Overall
consensus is that it comes from us
-Early
season is our stuff
-Big
storm systems come up from the south and they bring the foreign
garbage (it may have barnicals)
E-veryone
plays their part in the pollution! 7-11 stuff... 50% of the
plastics given to us we don’t even use... we just throw it
away.
-Lots
of little straws and plastic bags; also “tie rapping” material
that is popular in Thailand
-10% of
the rubbish is plastic toys. This is “thick/heavy” plastic
-Recycling
is key
