Source : http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/local/33190/landfills-falling-out-of-favour-with-bma
The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration expects to move from burying its garbage in landfills to burning it in incinerators in the next 10 years.
The project is costly but necessary because local people oppose conventional landfills.
Bangkok metropolis is the country's biggest source of garbage. Last year, it generated as much as 8,700 tonnes of garbage a day, which accounts for 24% of the total amount of garbage generated by the country.
Although the amount of garbage in Bangkok fell by 1.52% annually between 2003 and 2007, the Japan Bank for International Cooperation predicts that Bangkok will be producing as much as 13,835 tonnes of garbage a day by 2015, and 15,607 tonnes a day by 2019.
Iravat Patamasucon, the director of the BMA's environment department, says most of the 8,700 tonnes of garbage produced daily in Bangkok (or 0.9 kilogramme of garbage per person per day) is so-called "community garbage", drawn from sources like houses, markets, companies and government offices.
Community garbage is transported to three BMA garbage transit yards, in Nong Khaem (which handles 3,500 tonnes a day), Onnuj (2,200 tonnes a day) and Sai Mai (2,000 tonnes a day). The three yards receive 88% of all the garbage of Bangkok.
Garbage is sorted and transported to Kamphaeng Saen district of Nakhon Pathom and Phanom Sarakham district of Chachoengsao where it is buried in a landfill. The rest is turned into compost. Bangkok also produces about 20 tonnes of potentially infectious garbage a day.
This garbage comes from hospitals and clinics and includes used cotton, syringes and bandages.
It is incinerated at the Onnuj yard which is operated by Krungthep Thanakom Co, an enterprise of the BMA.
Another category is hazardous garbage from houses. It includes used batteries, light bulbs, and pesticide bottles and amounts to about five tonnes a day. A private company is hired to neutralise this kind of garbage before burying it in Sa Kaeo.
The fourth category of Bangkok's garbage is industrial waste, the disposal of which is the responsibility of factory owners under the Industrial Factory Act of 1992.
The other category of garbage in the capital comprises waste from construction such as concrete bars and poles, steel rods, bricks, gravel and sand.
Mr Iravat said that the BMA disposes of almost 100% of its garbage every day. A small amount is left over because residents forget to leave garbage in front of their homes in time for city workers to collect it.
Replacing landfills with incinerators is not a new idea.
In Thailand, Phuket and Samui islands have depended on incineration for years. BMA officials are studying an incineration project, too, in line with the garbage disposal policy of its governor, who favours incineration.
"We may try with an incinerator that can handle only 300-500 tonnes of garbage a day. Incineration will cost about 4 million baht per tonne.
"It is up to management. Landfilling will become a problem in the future as land in Bangkok is expensive.
"People in the provinces do not want landfills in their areas. We are likely to have our own incinerator in the next 10 years," said the director of the BMA's environment department.
The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration expects to move from burying its garbage in landfills to burning it in incinerators in the next 10 years.
CITY GARBAGE Bangkok accounts for 24% of the total rubbish produced in Thailand. The amount of garbage in the capital is expected to increase by 80% over the next decade to more than 15,000 tonnes per day. Facts about Bangkok's garbage:
Under the leadership of MR Sukhumbhand Paribatra, it is gearing up for what could be an expensive, but environmentally friendly change.The project is costly but necessary because local people oppose conventional landfills.
Bangkok metropolis is the country's biggest source of garbage. Last year, it generated as much as 8,700 tonnes of garbage a day, which accounts for 24% of the total amount of garbage generated by the country.
Although the amount of garbage in Bangkok fell by 1.52% annually between 2003 and 2007, the Japan Bank for International Cooperation predicts that Bangkok will be producing as much as 13,835 tonnes of garbage a day by 2015, and 15,607 tonnes a day by 2019.
Iravat Patamasucon, the director of the BMA's environment department, says most of the 8,700 tonnes of garbage produced daily in Bangkok (or 0.9 kilogramme of garbage per person per day) is so-called "community garbage", drawn from sources like houses, markets, companies and government offices.
Community garbage is transported to three BMA garbage transit yards, in Nong Khaem (which handles 3,500 tonnes a day), Onnuj (2,200 tonnes a day) and Sai Mai (2,000 tonnes a day). The three yards receive 88% of all the garbage of Bangkok.
Garbage is sorted and transported to Kamphaeng Saen district of Nakhon Pathom and Phanom Sarakham district of Chachoengsao where it is buried in a landfill. The rest is turned into compost. Bangkok also produces about 20 tonnes of potentially infectious garbage a day.
This garbage comes from hospitals and clinics and includes used cotton, syringes and bandages.
It is incinerated at the Onnuj yard which is operated by Krungthep Thanakom Co, an enterprise of the BMA.
Another category is hazardous garbage from houses. It includes used batteries, light bulbs, and pesticide bottles and amounts to about five tonnes a day. A private company is hired to neutralise this kind of garbage before burying it in Sa Kaeo.
The fourth category of Bangkok's garbage is industrial waste, the disposal of which is the responsibility of factory owners under the Industrial Factory Act of 1992.
The other category of garbage in the capital comprises waste from construction such as concrete bars and poles, steel rods, bricks, gravel and sand.
Mr Iravat said that the BMA disposes of almost 100% of its garbage every day. A small amount is left over because residents forget to leave garbage in front of their homes in time for city workers to collect it.
Replacing landfills with incinerators is not a new idea.
In Thailand, Phuket and Samui islands have depended on incineration for years. BMA officials are studying an incineration project, too, in line with the garbage disposal policy of its governor, who favours incineration.
"We may try with an incinerator that can handle only 300-500 tonnes of garbage a day. Incineration will cost about 4 million baht per tonne.
"It is up to management. Landfilling will become a problem in the future as land in Bangkok is expensive.
"People in the provinces do not want landfills in their areas. We are likely to have our own incinerator in the next 10 years," said the director of the BMA's environment department.
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