Renewed Push to Sort, Recycle Waste

City produces more than 8,000 tonnes of municipal waste per day

Despite its reputation of being one of the world’s top tourist destinations, litter can literally be seen all over Bangkok.

According to the Department of Environment and Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) figures, the capital produces more than 8,000 tonnes of municipal waste every day.

Large quantities of the refuse are plastics and infectious medical waste that pose challenges to Bangkok’s waste management infrastructure, with environmental experts suggesting the BMA must deal with the root causes of the problem.

Sujitra Vassanadumrongdee, a researcher from the Environmental Research Institute at Chulalongkorn University, believes the BMA should prioritise reducing waste at the source rather than just dealing with the aftermath.

Ms Sujitra said the BMA must pay for more equipment and a management system which would help people sort and separate waste before it is collected by local authorities.

“The city spends 7 billion baht each year on rubbish transfer and disposal, but its income from rubbish collection and recycling is only about 10-50 million baht per year,” she said.

“Nevertheless, the growing amount of rubbish in Bangkok indicates the city’s failure to solve the issue, while any recent decline is mostly attributable to the Covid-19 situation.

“If we solve the problem at its root, we could save money and even turn a profit from waste recycling,” said Ms Sujitra.

Yet waste management should not be the sole domain of the BMA, Ms Sujitra said. Cooperation from the private sector and academics are also needed to come up with a more holistic solution.

The 50 district offices across the city must be empowered to deal with the issue, not just the BMA’s Environment Department, although there seems to be a lack of budget for new initiatives, she said.

“The governor elected in the upcoming Bangkok gubernatorial election must consider waste separation as a key goal.”

She suggested that BMA must set out a policy and investment plans. It should also consider measures to encourage efficient waste disposal such as fee discounts where people can reduce their rubbish output.

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