Last time, I wrote about Why Bamboo? Because that was a question I was being asked by A LOT of people when I first brought up the idea. There was another question that was always underlining that one, which was what or who is Bambooyst? 

I may not have been able to express my intentions as clearly back when we started off, but I think I am able to do so now. 

In the past little over 365 days, Bambooyst has become a community rather than just a brand. The idea to begin this business was to bring together a collection of eco-friendly products, ensuring they were affordable and vastly available for any and everyone. 

But what it was also about, was educating people on why it’s important to ditch the single use products. Why it’s really important to:

1. Reuse - as much as possible
2. Reduce - single use product
3. Recycle / Upcycle - unavoidable single use products, but correctly. 

Bambooyst itself didn’t have a definition, and I spent days on trying to come up with a definition that reflected what we stand for. It had to reflect our intentions, and speak to everyone at the same time. 

So, what or who is Bambooyst?

Bambooyst

/bam'boo'est/ noun

   1. A passionate individual doing their bit to save the planet, 

      while looking cool af throughout the process

      (See also: "bad ass", "hero")

As I said earlier, although the aim of bringing these reusable products was to enhance sustainability, and promote reusing, it was also to educate, to bring awareness and involve other passionate individuals to make some noise, and to save our planet before it’s too late. 

As an advantage, I’d like to believe Bambooyst products have the stylish & “cool” appearance. And that’s a plus point because people are using our products and changing their habits even though they don’t realise they’re helping us save the world. (Well, I mean that was kind of intentional, shhh).

What are we trying to achieve with Bambooyst?

In an attempt to run a successful business, we all try to focus on the strengths of our company and keep pushing for what we stand for. 

If I’m being honest with you all, every step of the way that I spent building Bambooyst as an eco-friendly brand was a learning experience for me, and I’ve only become more and more eager to do something that makes a real difference, and not just one on the books. 

We’re selling our products, yes, but I want to build a stronger community to educate people on things that are so simple yet not always covered in schools & colleges. Things that will actually define our future. Something as simple as the correct way of recycling our waste, and what really happens to it once it’s been recycled or upcycled.

Have you guys ever been taught that? I mean, I don’t really remember it being done when I was in school, or maybe it wasn’t as important back then. So I did some research, spoke to some people who’re actually doing it on a regular basis and got us some useful information on how to do it “the correct way”.

There’s so much more to it than appears on the surface, and it’s all literally in our hands to control. We can together really make a difference, and for some reason that’s not being highlighted enough.

I’m here to make some noise, and if you’d like to hear me out, keep up with me and in my next blog I’m going to highlight some of the tips & suggestions Ms. Atcharapond Tantilikitkul (Khun Angela); Sales & Business Development Expert from Thailand Plastic Recycle gave me during our interview. Tips that are so simple, yet effective. 

A simple conversation with her helped me understand the problem better, and get further clarity on my assumptions. 

If you read through the article from Bangkok Post https://www.bangkokpost.com/opinion/opinion/1984063/plastic-waste-still-an-issue

it helps identify the base of the problem; “Local administration agencies such as the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration need to lay the groundwork for a better recycling system, adding bins as well as drop-off points so plastic waste can be sorted properly and channelled for use as a raw material in industrial manufacturing. A strong campaign to raise awareness of the need to separate different types of rubbish would also be helpful too.”

Precisely! Lack of awareness is a big problem and yet, there is not enough being done to educate us as to what is the correct way to actually recycle or dispose off our garbage. 

What do we do?

In the next blog, I’m going to give you a detailed breakdown of how you can make sure you’re sorting, and sending your recyclable or upcycling waste to the correct places. 

Help us, help you! 

Unfortunately or fortunately, we look to social media as a powerful tool these days. So why not use this platform to educate and highlight this issue too? I’m thinking we make #makeachangewithbambooyst stylish, fashionable & trendy.

As Khun Angela expressed during her interview, recycling is not as simple as it should or could be. It takes just one bottle with liquid thrown into a bin full of empty ones, to contaminate that entire bin. If we can make recycling trendy enough for people to speak about it and to understand how it really works, that would solve a lot of the problems.

It really doesn’t get any easier than this to reduce your carbon footprint. So please, help us! Reuse the products as much as you can, once they’re worn out, recycle them correctly. Educate yourselves and then people around you. 

Once again, a special thanks to Khun Angela from Thailand Recycle Plastic https://www.thaiplasticrecycle.com/en to help us understand it all better!

Remember to avoid single use products until and unless they are absolutely necessary, and even then, be sure to reuse, recycle or upcycle them! Keep following our journey on @bambooyst to find support in reducing your carbon footprint and helping us help you save our planet!