Phuket Town Mayor Saroj Angkanapilas signed the contract of agreement with existing operator PJT Technology Co Ltd, represented by Executive Director Tan Wang, at a signing ceremony to establish a public-private partnership for waste management on Oct 31.
At the signing of the agreement, titled “Contract for Private Sector Rights to Manage a Community Waste Incinerator Plant with a Capacity of Not Less Than 300 Tons/Day”, were PJT Technology’s Legal and Compliance Manager Sajith Siripipat and Phuket City Municipality Chief Administrative Officer (Palad) Chalermporn Piyanarongroj.
Also present were Phuket Town Deputy Mayors Suphot La-ongphet and Sutthipan Skulthep, along with Mayor Saroj’s official Secretary. Niti Petchpradabsakul, and Advisor Chue Kongchin.
“Phuket City Municipality receives waste from all localities in Phuket to be disposed of at the Solid Waste Disposal Facility at Saphan Hin,” Mayor Saroj said.
“Currently, the amount of waste delivered to the Saphan Hin landfill exceeds the capacity of the incinerator by about 200-300 tonnes per day, including infectious waste,” he added.
“We have a problem with waste management because the original incinerator has been in use for more than 15 years… While waiting for the construction of the second incinerator to be completed in the next two years, it is very important to renew the contract and allow the private sector to manage the waste,” he said.
Noting the need for upgraded facilities to handle the current waste load effectively, Mayor Saroj explained, “The machinery and equipment are starting to deteriorate. Therefore, it is very important to renew the contract with PJT Technology Co Ltd to allow the private sector to invest in improving the incinerator system, equipment and tools to be of good quality and in good condition, ready for waste disposal, in order to help solve Phuket’s solid waste problem.”
PJT Technology, established in 2003 due to a joint venture negotiation with Malaysian manufacturer Iris Corporation Berhad, was selected to manage the community waste incinerator for another 15 years because the existing and original contract states that as long as PJT Technology Co Ltd passes the evaluation in all conditions, Phuket City Municipality must first give the contract to the original company, Mayor Saroj explained.
“In order to manage the incinerator during the period of the contract, , altogether worth more than B511mn, PJT Technology must use the budget to improve the entire incinerator’s operating system, especially the machinery.
“In addition, the company must also provide support according to the contract details to improve pollution control and the environment, costing more than B46mn, in order to maintain the highest benefits for Phuket City Municipality,” Mayor Saroj said.
SPILLOVER
Mayor Saroj admitted that the foul smell emanating from the Saphan Hin landfill is purely the result of the overwhelming amount of trash delivered there each day.
“There are times when the company stops the incinerator in order to carry out maintenance, but only for a short period of time,” Mayor Saroj said.
“The main cause of the odour is because a large amount of garbage from all areas is sent to the waste disposal centre, totaling more than 1,100 tonnes a day, but only 700 tonnes a day can be incinerated.
“The rest must be sent to the landfill, approximately 200-300 tons/day, which is considered a very high amount,” he said.
The daily volume of trash is expected to increase, as usual, with the coming tourism high season.
“During the upcoming tourist season, it is expected that there will be as much as 1,500-1,800 tonnes of waste per day. Managing this much waste is a very big issue for Phuket City Municipality,” Mayor Saroj said.
“We would like to ask for cooperation from the public to separate waste from the beginning, starting from households, to help reduce the amount of waste sent to the waste disposal centre,” he added.
“If the amount of waste can be reduced, it will also help reduce the budget for waste management each year. This budget can be used to develop the city and improve the quality of life in other aspects.
“Every citizen is important. If everyone helps to manage waste to reduce the problem of overflowing waste in the city. Phuket City Municipality sees solving the waste problem in the long term, about 10 years,” Mayor Saroj said.
“As for solving the landfill problem, Phuket City Municipality has received a budget of B35mn from the Cabinet, and Phuket City Municipality has provided an additional B5mn, together giving a total of B40mn, to proceed with the expansion of the landfill area.
“This will allow us to accommodate the amount of waste until the construction of the second incinerator is completed in the next two years. Once the second incinerator is completed, we will definitely be able to handle more than 1,000 tonnes per day,” he said.
“In addition to the disposal of general waste, Phuket Municipality also has infectious waste disposal, and the standard of the incinerator used to dispose of such waste will instil confidence among people that the disposal of infectious waste is definitely safe,” Mayor Saroj noted.
BENEFITS ASIDE
As part of the agreement signed, PJT Technology has given B25.7mn to Phuket City Municipality to support public welfare work, which Phuket City Municipality aims to use to support its Saphan Hin Stadium football field project, for which the Phuket CIty Municipality’s Engineering Division has already drawn up some plans.
“Phuket City Municipality intends to push for it to be a football field with international standards, one of the top in Asia, supporting international competitions,” Mayor Saroj said.
“One of the aims is to expand the original running track to nine lanes in accordance with international standards, and to have a grass football field with a drainage system and standard lighting system that can support international competitions,” he added.
“Phuket City Municipality has already requested budget support from the central government twice, but it was not considered,” he noted.
“Therefore, the construction of Saphan Hin Stadium has been divided into several instalments,” Mayor Saroj said.