Deputy Mayor Suphot La-ongphet visited landfill sites 4 and 5 at the Phuket Provincial Solid Waste Disposal Center yesterday (Nov 11) to oversee progress on waste management strategies aimed at addressing the island’s escalating waste crisis.
The adjustments involve redirecting excess waste from the now-overflowing landfill 3 to newly designated landfills 4 and 5.
Officials have been instructed to fast-track the expansion of both pits, with a targeted completion date of this Friday (Nov 15), before shutting down landfill 3 to prevent worsening odour issues from the accumulating waste.
Deputy Mayor Suphot noted that waste from local government bodies and businesses across Phuket is pouring in at roughly 1,400 tonnes a day.
However, the island’s single incinerator can only burn 700 tonne per day, resulting in an overflow of around 400-500 tonnes sent to landfills – beyond their current capacity, Deputy Mayor Suphot noted.
The rise in waste is attributed to Phuket’s growing tourism sector and the expansion of local businesses and households.
Deputy Mayor Suphot is urging residents and visitors to reduce waste at the source, especially by separating organic waste, to alleviate pressure on the incinerator and landfills.
See also:
Officials spend B500mn on maintaining island’s one operating incinerator