"Tyred" of garbage

Garbage, more precisely, what to do with it, is a question that no doubt has plagued man since time immemorial - more so since we started packaging things. Most cities and towns in the world today have garbage disposal services and garbage is either burned, buried, exported to poor countries, dumped in landfills, the sea, forests and other ecologically sensitive areas. Fact is, most of us don't really worry too much about where our garbage goes once it leaves the pavement in front of our homes.

In Thailand, up until not too many years ago, fresh food was packaged in leaves. In fact, today still, some food bought at markets is wrapped in banana, pandanus and other leaves. This makes for hassle-free disposal. You merely drop it wherever you please.

As Thailand has become more developed, however, it has had to deal more and more with plastic and other non-biodegradable packaging. This has not proved to be too much of a hassle to some folk - they merely burn it, thus contributing to the emission of odoriferous and noxious substances in the air. In March this year, the air pollution levels in Chiang Mai exceeded critical levels and the province was declared and environmental disaster area. The main culprits were farmers burning their waste, slash and burn farming and uncontrolled forest fires, but even as visibility was reduced to around 50 meters and tiny sooty particles were falling from the sky, noses running and eyes stinging, my neighbours were happily burning their household and garden refuse.

Thailand is modernising. We have regular, twice-a-week garbage collection (which my neighbours, for reasons unbeknown, prefer not to use) and are required to place our garbage in black bags, which are to be tied up and placed on the road on garbage collection days. This is an improvement but it has resulted in the demise of a unique and quaint Thai fixture...the rubber garbage bin.

As you can see, it is made "entyrely" from a car tyre, which has been cut and turned inside out. A novel way to keep your garbage out of the way and clever use of old car tyres.