Organised by the Office of Local Administration Promotion, the event brought together 73 participants, including public health and environment officers from all 19 local administrative organisations on the island.
The training, led by Sudarat Wongthepwanich, Director of the Local Promotion and Development Group, aims to empower the community leaders with the skills and knowledge to tackle the province’s growing waste problem.
Ms Sudarat emphasised that the program seeks to raise awareness about the importance of addressing solid waste issues and encourage collaboration among communities.
“We want to promote sustainable solutions that are cost-effective and environmentally friendly. Our goal is to create innovative technologies to manage waste efficiently and reduce its impact on Phuket,” she said.
The initiative is part of Phuket’s broader ‘Clean Province’ community waste management plan for 2024, which focuses on creating long-term solutions to the increasing waste burden, she explained.
Currently, Phuket generates approximately 1,100 tons of waste per day, a figure that Mr Norasak described as “alarming”.
Vice Governor Norasak stressed the importance of reducing organic waste, which makes up 60% of the total waste sent to the disposal centre.
He called on participants to focus on sorting waste at the source and finding ways to repurpose organic material, such as turning it into compost or using it as animal feed.
“By addressing organic waste alone, we could cut the amount of waste sent to incinerators and landfills by more than half,” Mr Norasak said. “The participants in this programme are the key force that will lead our province toward a cleaner future.”