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Thai parks mail litter back to tourists

Litter - Level 4

People who litter in Thai national parks may get a surprise in their mail - their litter may be returned to them. Thailand decided to act on the increasing amount of wrappers, plastic bottles and paper thrown away in national parks. It asked park wardens to mail litter back to tourists. Litterbugs get a letter saying: "We collected your garbage...and sent it to your home. This should be a lesson...to never again throw away waste." People can also get a $16,000 fine.

Litter is an eyesore in many of Thailand's beauty spots. It is easy to find litterbugs because visitors to parks must register their address. Anyone who leaves litter near their camping spot will get their waste back. The head of a park said: "It can be dangerous for animals like deer if they eat the rubbish and try to digest plastic waste that people leave behind." The government said people should only leave footprints behind.

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Litter - Level 5

Litterbugs who drop rubbish in Thai national parks may get a surprise when they check their mail - their litter may have been returned to them. Thailand has decided to take a stand on the increasing amount of wrappers, plastic bottles and paper that is thrown away in national parks. It asked park wardens to collect litter and mail it back to tourists. It comes with a letter that says: "We collected your garbage...and sent it to your home. This should be a lesson to you, to never again throw away waste anywhere." There are additional penalties like prison or a $16,000 fine.

The severe penalties are because litter is an eyesore in many of Thailand's beauty spots. It is fairly easy to find offenders because visitors to parks must register their address when they enter. Anyone who leaves litter near their camping spot will get their waste back. The head of a park near Bangkok explained the "return-to-litterbug" policy. He said: "It can be dangerous for animals like deer if they eat the rubbish and try to digest plastic waste that people leave behind." The government said people should only leave footprints behind.

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Litter - Level 6

Litterbugs who drop their rubbish in national parks in Thailand may be in for a surprise the next time they check their mail - the litter they left may have been returned to them. Thailand's Environment Minister has decided to take a stand on the increasing amount of sweet wrappers, plastic bottles and paper that is strewn across national parks. He has asked park wardens to collect the litter and mail it to the offending litterbug. It comes with a letter that says: "We collected your garbage in a cardboard box and sent it to your home. This should be a lesson to you, to never again throw away waste anywhere." Additional penalties could come in the form of five years imprisonment or a hefty $16,000 fine.

The severe penalties have been initiated because of litter becoming an eyesore in many of Thailand's beauty spots. Park wardens say it is relatively easy to track down and identify offenders, as all visitors to the parks are required to register their address when they enter a park. Anyone who leaves refuse near their assigned camping spot will be reunited with their waste. Narin Pinsakul, chief of the Khao Yai National Park near Bangkok, explained why the parks were introducing their return-to-litterbug policy. He said: "It can be dangerous for animals like deer if they eat the rubbish and try to digest plastic waste that people leave behind." The Environment Minister said people should only leave footprints behind.

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25 online activities    |    27-page printable    |    2-page mini-lesson