Waste policies encourage wrong choices; reducing, reusing and recycling should come first, say environmentalists.
EXPERTS on waste management and
environmental protection are warning that Thailand could become the
garbage bin of the world, as the government’s policies to promote the
waste-to-energy industry have already resulted in plastic waste imports
to the Kingdom.
Ecological Alert and Recovery Thailand director Penchom Saetang said the
country’s recent waste management trends run counter to correct waste
management methods.
The government’s current path will prevent a proper
solution to waste management problems and unintentionally lead to waste
from other countries being dumped in Thailand, she said.
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Penchom singled out for criticism the promotion of private investment in small waste-to-energy projects across the country.
“Waste-to-energy is one of the most polluting methods for both waste
management and power generation, because not only will burning garbage
emit toxic pollutants, but the leftover ashes are also very hazardous
and require very careful disposal in a secured landfill. And so building
many small waste-to-energy plants is a very bad decision,” Penchom
said. “I do not contest the advantages of waste-to-energy, as it is one
of the acceptable measures to deal with unrecyclable waste, but we
should have only a few big waste-to-energy plants that are properly
equipped with all pollution control measures.”
Highlighting her concern over the small size of the waste-to-energy
projects now being promoted by the government, Penchom said it was not
cost-effective for the investors to install expensive pollution-control
systems.
They are forced to reduce the money spent on environmental protection in order to keep their investment profitable.
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According to the five-year waste management masterplan, local
administrative organisations are required to manage waste. However, the
private sector is also encouraged to invest in waste disposal plants,
based on the assumption that they are more able and ready to properly
oversee waste disposal.
Forty-four provinces meet the criteria, allowing them to initiate
private-sector investment in waste-to-energy plants. Those criteria
include the availability of a feed-in powerline, ability to ensure a
feedstock of at least 300 tonnes of garbage. In contrast, a total 102
areas in 49 provinces have the capacities for investment in
refuse-derived fuel (RDF) processing plants.
For the less populated
areas that have below 50 tonnes of waste generated per day, the
authorities and residents are advised to locally process their waste
into fertiliser and bury the leftover garbage in a local sanitary
landfill.
