Plastic free kit introduced by Mekong tourism forum

Single-use plastic is one of the biggest issues we face in today’s world, and the travel and tourism industry can do its part to help solve the problem says MTF.

The 2018 Mekong Tourism Forum says it will put the Plastic Issue front and centre and invite anybody to join the discussion – how we as an industry can reduce single-use plastic in the Greater Mekong Subregion.

MTF 2018 is has designed a limited-edition refillable water bottle, as part of its MTF Plastic Free Kit.

Say MTF: "Most of us reading this piece will no doubt work in the travel and tourism sector and therefore will have some awareness of the scale of plastic the industry attracts and consumes. In the last 10 years, we have made more plastic than ever before. In this year alone, every man, woman and child will consume on average 300 pounds or 136 kilos of single-use plastic. By 2025, 10 times more plastic each year is estimated to be dumped in our oceans. Furthermore by 2050 the population is expected to grow to a whopping 10 billion people and our plastic consumption is expected to triple. The truth is, only a fraction will be recycled."

Eight million tons of plastic are dumped into the world’s oceans every year

In the western Mediterranean recent findings show 1-2 ratio of plastic to plankton (microscopic creatures eaten by a variety of marine life including whales).

Scientists estimate that there are more than 5 trillion particles (pieces of plastic) in our oceans.

As plastic bottles and debris float on top of the ocean they are broken up by sunlight, waves and salt to create what is known as microplastics.

Toxins such as pesticides and heavy metals entering the ocean hitchhike onto microplastics, causing devastating effects on marine life when they are ingested.

A Bryde’s whale was reported to have 6sqm of plastic inside it when it washed up on the shoreline off Cairns in Australia. The post-mortem found that the whale’s stomach was tightly packed with mostly plastic checkout bags.

Birds are affected too: shearwater birds and albatross are often found dead with their stomachs full of microplastics. One shearwater bird was found with up to 270 pieces of micro plastics inside its body, that’s the equivalent of 6-8 kilos of plastic inside a human being.

The plastics and toxins found in marine life can (and do) enter the food chain,and end up on our plates.

Find out more at the Mekong Tourism Forum. Hosted by the Ministry of Tourism and Sports Thailand (MoTS), this year’s Mekong Tourism Forum is free of charge to travel professionals.

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Valere Tjolle