Is Phuket Becoming One Big Landfill And Dump Site?

[pmgthailand]

This island is bloody filthy and becoming one big dumping ground. I took these pictures today and was just totatlly grossed out. They are even curing fish to sell to the public in this cesspit. People are hanging laundry to dry in amongst it. Poverty is no excuse for this, it is just pure laziness. I could take you to a different place like this every single day of the year. This water was gross and is leaching into ground water, burning plastics is releasing PCB's (polychlorinated biphenyls) into the environment which is highly carcinogenic.

The local council renewed the sidewalks near my house, nice railings with beautiful wrought iron road lamps last year. Now one year on this place looks terrible, garbage everywhere, blocked drains and just a very untidy place to be. It seemed like a waste of money. The more the authorities try to spruce the place up the more the locals turn it into a trash pit.

I'm tired of living in this squalor I'm leaving Phuket before I catch some kind of disease!!!

[stevenl]

Why ask the question when you already know that in your opinion it is.

[grumpyoldman]

Why ask the question when you already know that in your opinion it is.

Because pmgthailand is a constant complainer here on the forum. Time and time again he posts what a crappy place this is, yet, here he still is.......

On the other side of the coin I had business today out on Cape Panwa, and what a little bit of treasure Ao Yon is. Beautiful day on the beach there, boats bobbing, sunny and deluxe. Took a spin up into the hills (pmgthailand, I did not see any refuse dumps in plain sight), and a good sized monitor lizard came scooting out of the bushes.

Sorry pmg, I'm calling Troll.

[katabeachbum]

pmgthailand, you have been posting like this for a year. havent left yet?

has it ever occurred to you garbage fillings are used to create buildable land, in Thailand and in other countries. and some poor people actually live close to these fillings, in Thailand and in other countries. Feel free to help them. or continue complaining how terrible you are here

[pmgthailand]

pmgthailand, you have been posting like this for a year. havent left yet?

has it ever occurred to you garbage fillings are used to create buildable land, in Thailand and in other countries. and some poor people actually live close to these fillings, in Thailand and in other countries. Feel free to help them. or continue complaining how terrible you are here

No it did not occur to me that this was landfill for usable land, I though it was just neglect from local authorities and people. IMO this issue ranks up there in importance with tuk tuks and taxis, jet skis etc. that get many posts and the effect that it has on tourism. This ultimately affects my livelihood and a lot of other people that choose to live here. You can call it a troll or whatever but I did not complain how terrible I was living here but that it seems to be getting more polluted.

[starkey_rich]

pmgthailand, you have been posting like this for a year. havent left yet?

has it ever occurred to you garbage fillings are used to create buildable land, in Thailand and in other countries. and some poor people actually live close to these fillings, in Thailand and in other countries. Feel free to help them. or continue complaining how terrible you are here

I don't know if pmg has business interests in Phuket like you guy's that are knocking him but I agree it is becoming a s--thole

[seriouseats]

pmgthailand, you have been posting like this for a year. havent left yet?

has it ever occurred to you garbage fillings are used to create buildable land, in Thailand and in other countries. and some poor people actually live close to these fillings, in Thailand and in other countries. Feel free to help them. or continue complaining how terrible you are here

No it did not occur to me that this was landfill for usable land, I though it was just neglect from local authorities and people. IMO this issue ranks up there in importance with tuk tuks and taxis, jet skis etc. that get many posts and the effect that it has on tourism. This ultimately affects my livelihood and a lot of other people that choose to live here. You can call it a troll or whatever but I did not complain how terrible I was living here but that it seems to be getting more polluted.

isnt half of new york city just trash with skycrapers built on top?

[ScubaBuddha]

The habit of littering, burning plastics and general lack of concern of the environment is one of my biggest pet peeves of Thai people. I can't count how many times I have seen them throw bags of garbage from their motorbikes into the drainage ditch along the road, watched as mothers allow their young children to unwrap a treat and drop the wrapping to the ground. My Thai gf's over the years have learned that a polystyrene "to go" containers and it's accompanying bag betting thrown out the car window causes the brakes to be applied. Call me an extremist. My favorite: one young woman riding pillion wearing one of those "Green Earth" or "Save the Earth" green and white t-shirts that have become so ubiquitous in Phuket casually throw chips wrapper over her shoulder.

But the problems are the same in every developed and third world countries. I wouldn't characterize it as "This island is bloody filthy and becoming one big dumping ground.." The island isn't becoming one big landfill. It's a problem, yes. But realize that in 6 mo's the areas you photographed will likely be completely taken back by the jungle and thus no longer be an eye sore at least. And the Thai's know that.

Edited June 27, 2011 by ScubaBuddha

[Jimi007]

pmgthailand, you have been posting like this for a year. havent left yet?

You can call it a troll or whatever but I did not complain how terrible I was living here but that it seems to be getting more polluted.

What? You never complain about living in Phuket! Really?

I'm leaving Phuket before I catch some kind of disease!!!

[Valentine]

The road which runs from the Honda dealer to Kathu has been a fairly notorious dump site but signs have recently been erected warning of fines (written in Thai so not sure how much but I think 2,000). PG used to run a regular column highlighting dump sites around the island but as some have alluded to the only way to really improve the situation is to change the mindset. People of all ages tossing rubbish off motorbikes, out of cars, buses etc do it because it is convenient & even if there were decent rubbish bins placed on the roads who would be bothered to stop & use them if the new ones had not already been stolen. The existing ones become eyesores because they are not cleaned regularly & so rubbish accumulates around the outside. Phuket's landfill & incinerator are seriously over extended.

Back home I happily paid to dump a trailer full of rubbish at the local landfill but not sure if one is able to do that here & besides there are very few who would make the trip & pay when they can conveniently dump their rubbish on some back road. Like so many things education is the key to this problem & we as individuals can make small contributions through our wives, gfs, kids, extended families, who hopefully will pass it on to others.

[grumpyoldman]

Like so many things education is the key to this problem & we as individuals can make small contributions through our wives, gfs, kids, extended families, who hopefully will pass it on to others.

Excellent Valentine, I'm hitting the "Like" button.

[seriouseats]

The only problem here is the loss of face. Other asian countries have learned a very long time ago that the only way to keep asians clean and orderly and respectfull is the massive loss of face and money.

This is why they make advertisings and tv pubs making fun of people doing idiotic things. I recently saw one in kuala lumpur, it was about idiots cutting in the motorbike lane to get ahead of traffic.. Maybe if a few thais saw that they look like monkey morons doing this, they would stop(also the publicity educates them in simple terms so that they can understand that doing so also makes MORE traffic jams)

hell in malasyia the security guard starting ringing a bell and pointing at me and yelling for sitting in a swing at a park(dont swing the swing?)

In taiwan if you do not move left on the electric stairs, you are fined, and humiliated by an officer.(seen it, it was awesome)

etc.

at least yesterday i saw a policeman giving tickets to people parked on chaofa in front of central, but no 1 to laugh at them.

[KarenBravo]

The pictures could have been taken in any town in Thailand.

[bunta71]

Like so many things education is the key to this problem & we as individuals can make small contributions through our wives, gfs, kids, extended families, who hopefully will pass it on to others.

Excellent Valentine, I'm hitting the "Like" button.

You win the best and most intelligent post of the day. Now where is that button?

[steelepulse]

>>Now where is that button?

It used to be a feature of the forum, but it was removed. Now about the trash, all that would need to happen is to fine people that get caught, or make them wear bright orange uniforms and pick up trash along the roads for being a litter bug themselves.

[NamKangMan]

A lot of "human trash" here now as well.

[billythehat]

The pictures could have been taken in any town in Thailand.

....mmmmm...generally I hab agree but after 11 years of visits to LLL, all points north, south, east and west, I found that the bigger the city/town the less <deleted> I saw scattered around. Other turkeys here have mentioned education and here is the rub – take a culture that has been bought kicking and screaming into the 21 century when its true heart and soul are only ant's spit away from the stone age, then one can see that any 'education' will take several generations to bear fruits.

[fiddlehead]

Education without trash receptacles will do nothing except make a$$es out of the educators.