Trash Burning In Rural Thailand

[charlesmanson]

Although our tambon is part of "amphur muang", it is not part of the tesaban and is therefore governed solely by tambon administration known as Aw-Baw-Thaw or OBT for short. In other words, although we are in the city of Phetchaburi, we technically live in rural Thailand. The OBT provides trash pickup at a fee of 20 Baht per month per 55-gallon trash can but also allows residents to simply burn their trash. I did not know this when my wife and I bought land and spent my life savings building my retirement home in what appears to be an idyllic pastoral community. I don't know why we did not notice this during the construction of our house but almost every day at least one neighbor sets his trash alight. And neighbors with cattle in their back yard burn whatever they can so that the smoke will keep mosquitoes off their cattle at night. The air becomes hazy and and the house fills up with smoke. The smoke is as smelly as it is toxic. During these fires and for hours afterwards our house smells like a garbage can. Also, my health is deteriorating. I have developed a wheezing cough with a burning sensation in my upper respiratory area. We have tried talking with our neighbors even offering to pay for a trash can for them if they would stop burning their trash but they just laugh and tell us not to worry about it and that this practice is the normal thing to do. I did approach the Pooh Yai and the Kamnan but noticed that they too burn their trash even after our discussion in which they appeared to be sympathetic. We also called the pollution control department local office here and they said that trash burning is outside of their area of concern which appears to be on industrial pollution on a large scale from a single source. So is there anything we can do about it? Is there a legal way to stop the trash burning that would not alienate our neighbors? All advice and assistance very gratefully received and thank you in advance.

[Mosha]

We are in the sticks, and the nearest the refuse cart comes is 1km away. The locals have little choice but to burn.

[wayned]

I also live in the sticks and the nearest roadside "trash can" is about 8 km away. Everybody burns their trash as there is no other option. Everybody also seperates the recyclabe items and sells them to the guy that comes about once a month. Welcome to "rural" Thailand!

[Rsquared]

Same same here....nearest "pick-up" is 30km away, but we have a local recycling place 5km from our place and another new one just opened about15km away.

But I don't think I will ever see a pick-up service where I live......so like the locals we burn our other rubbish as well.....just gotta get the nephews to stop throwing their Birdy cans of coffee in our other rubbish.

Cheers.

[Hedghog]

Sorry .

Due dilligence,when buying land for a house in Thailand.

I also burn my rubbish,Phitsanulok.

As do my neighbours

[HeijoshinCool]

Where I live there is pick up twice a week. It's light duty for the garbage men.

People still throw food out the back door to rot, and they burn everything else, including plastic, and even try burning glass. The glass never burns, but that doesn't stop them from trying, again, and again, and again.

They will not change. It's the way their brains are wired. Most Thai don't want change, don't want to learn any other way. That's both an observation from me, and a quote from the GF.

I watched the woman who does laundry for a living, hang freshly washed clothes on a line, taking care to turn them all inside out (fading). Then she proceeded to light a fire a few meters away. For the rest of the afternoon, she burned plastic. Thick plumes of black, acrid smoke, permeated the fresh laundry. This is not an isolated practice with her.

I'm unaware of legalities, but just because you are right, well, you know ...

Perhaps sealing your house, using air 24/7, and some ionizers will help.

Sorry for your troubles, man.

[Pormax]

As stated in all theabove replies it is the same in all rural villages.

However though I live in a village I don't burn my rubbish.

Plastic, cardboard is kept for the recycling man who comes round regularly.

The other stuff I put in black plastic bags inside plastic dustbins, then when we go into the nearest town

25kms aways we take the black bags and dump them in the Blue waste bins by the side of the road.

Not only do I not want the smell of burning rubbish or the smell of rotten food but I don't want to feed the village dogs or attract the rats.

Other villagers could do the same but think I am crazy. (they could be right)

[MESmith]

We live outside of the nearest village & used to have no garbage collection. Wife convinced the Aw-Baw-Thaw to include the nearest villages in their collection routes, & include our house too. Before that, after recycling most, we were left with about 1 supermarket bag of trash a week, which every month we took to in-laws village where there was collection.

[h90]

same same here in Bangkok....heavy plastic smelling smoke every evening.....

the burn the trash at a place where one police station is not responsible anymore and the other not yet

[wayned]

To simplify Thai society, burning trash is no different than corruption! It's a way of life and they have been doing it for as long as they can remember and don't want to change. Most Thais that I know burn their trash, they also acknowledge that there is corruption but since it doesn'e affect their daily lives and everybody is aware and part of it they have no reason to change it!

[churchill]

Same in Samui .. The burning plastic is worst .... I had the same respiratory problem , very uncomfortable .. but the burning is less frequent since we complained to the Tesse Bahn ,

you could give that a try ..

[thaibeachlovers]

Sympathies for your problem, but your situation is just one of the reasons I have always preached never, never, never buy a house in Thailand.

[wayned]

I lived in a very rural part of the US, you either burned your trash, put int in the back of your truck and hauled it to a landfill (where they burned it and burried it), or a combination of both. We all didn't live in the big city! What's the difference, not everybody was born with a silver spoon in their mouth!

[h90]

I lived in a very rural part of the US, you either burned your trash, put int in the back of your truck and hauled it to a landfill (where they burned it and burried it), or a combination of both. We all didn't live in the big city! What's the difference, not everybody was born with a silver spoon in their mouth!

20-30 years ago it was also common in Europe, but now everything is so regulated that you are only allowed to fart in a government controlled fart area with fart license and paid fart tax.

[krisb]

You could always close all doors and windows, buy an air purifier, turn on the air con which will filter air. Just some ideas.

I feel for you building and pouring your life savings in as you musnt have lived in rural Thailand before. Its part of it burning rubbish. Perhaps there is some alternative for your neighbours like collect their rubbish and supply some wood for burning instead of toxic plastic. Theres no one that can help you but if your neighbours have any heart they will stop burning the toxic stuff.

[weegee]

I am in a different area to the other posters here...But.. we now have rubbish bins and collection once a week...Trash burning has subsided a lot since.

lead by example...try to organise a trash pickup in the area you are in.....worked for us.

[WonnabeBiker]

Well, I lived in a house in the government block (neighbors were all civil servants and offices like the Police station, the post office and the district office). Guess what? Right beside freshly laundered washing, the neighbor lit an unnecessary fire at night.

And kept doing it, despite loud cursing and "mai dai" shouts. The bedroom would reek all night long...

Composting works. Those leaves will turn into good fertilizer in less than a year. Just pile them high and let nature do the rest!

Likewise, maybe in 2025, Thailand will add a few booths to its borders in Aranyprethet and Nong Khai etc. Or are they all used to letting folks queue for an hour?

Welcome to Thailand: look, we are a 3rd World country - if in doubt, observe how the handle pollution and bottlenecks.

***

Oh, there was trash service and the opportunity to dump into government offices' trash bins as well. But then, even the gardeners working at the post office would light a fire 7 feet besides the empty trash bins. Words fail me to describe the disappointment when on a fresh nice morning the air was filled with acrit smoke.

[Thongkorn]

Hows about building a Incinerator for the Locals with proper filters. i know at a cost to you, but the question would be, would they use it.

[loong]

Hows about building a Incinerator for the Locals with proper filters. i know at a cost to you, but the question would be, would they use it.

That would involve carrying their waste to the incinerator. As the majority will not walk 2 steps to deposit their rubbish in a bin, I really doubt that they would be inclined to use a communal incinerator.

[MESmith]

Expats who should know better, copying the mistakes of the uneducated locals. Unbelievable Lead by example, don't "ape" them

[Mosha]

I am in a different area to the other posters here...But.. we now have rubbish bins and collection once a week...Trash burning has subsided a lot since.

lead by example...try to organise a trash pickup in the area you are in.....worked for us.

A bribe will help the process.

[thaibeachlovers]

Well, I lived in a house in the government block (neighbors were all civil servants and offices like the Police station, the post office and the district office). Guess what? Right beside freshly laundered washing, the neighbor lit an unnecessary fire at night.

And kept doing it, despite loud cursing and "mai dai" shouts. The bedroom would reek all night long...

Composting works. Those leaves will turn into good fertilizer in less than a year. Just pile them high and let nature do the rest!

Likewise, maybe in 2025, Thailand will add a few booths to its borders in Aranyprethet and Nong Khai etc. Or are they all used to letting folks queue for an hour?

Welcome to Thailand: look, we are a 3rd World country - if in doubt, observe how the handle pollution and bottlenecks.

***

Oh, there was trash service and the opportunity to dump into government offices' trash bins as well. But then, even the gardeners working at the post office would light a fire 7 feet besides the empty trash bins. Words fail me to describe the disappointment when on a fresh nice morning the air was filled with acrit smoke.

You must be lucky enough to have sufficient space to pile a year's worth of leaves up. Few of the houses where I live have any space around them to do that, and anyway, no space for a garden to use it.

[HeijoshinCool]

Hows about building a Incinerator for the Locals with proper filters. i know at a cost to you, but the question would be, would they use it.

That would involve carrying their waste to the incinerator. As the majority will not walk 2 steps to deposit their rubbish in a bin, I really doubt that they would be inclined to use a communal incinerator.

Hows about building a Incinerator for the Locals with proper filters. i know at a cost to you, but the question would be, would they use it.

They have those. Just can't use'm for trash.

[MESmith]

Well, I lived in a house in the government block (neighbors were all civil servants and offices like the Police station, the post office and the district office). Guess what? Right beside freshly laundered washing, the neighbor lit an unnecessary fire at night.

And kept doing it, despite loud cursing and "mai dai" shouts. The bedroom would reek all night long...

Composting works. Those leaves will turn into good fertilizer in less than a year. Just pile them high and let nature do the rest!

Likewise, maybe in 2025, Thailand will add a few booths to its borders in Aranyprethet and Nong Khai etc. Or are they all used to letting folks queue for an hour?

Welcome to Thailand: look, we are a 3rd World country - if in doubt, observe how the handle pollution and bottlenecks.

***

Oh, there was trash service and the opportunity to dump into government offices' trash bins as well. But then, even the gardeners working at the post office would light a fire 7 feet besides the empty trash bins. Words fail me to describe the disappointment when on a fresh nice morning the air was filled with acrit smoke.

You must be lucky enough to have sufficient space to pile a year's worth of leaves up. Few of the houses where I live have any space around them to do that, and anyway, no space for a garden to use it.

Sound a great place to live. And anyway, if their gardens are so "non-existant" where are all the leaves coming from? Another Thai apologist & excuse maker!! Good luck in your smoke filled paradise.

[Nana Cowboy]

No trash burning here. Man I feel lucky. did happen once or twice in a year and it was unbearable. I think if you can find an area with trash pickup and no burning it is priceless

[yannic]

provide big trash cans to your neighbors, provide plastic bags then pick up the trash weekly or twice a week for free from them. Or pay someone to pick up the trash.

[David48]

What I read above are either posts by people who actually live in Thailand ... and those who visit Thailand.

Wait till you live in the sticks and you have a charcoal maker as a neighbour ...

.

[cooked]

Put your stuff in a nice bag and go shopping, leaving the bag visible on the back of your truck. (We all drive trucks, don't we?). After one hour it will be gone. God I feel a trifle jaded sometimes...

[loong]

provide big trash cans to your neighbors, provide plastic bags then pick up the trash weekly or twice a week for free from them. Or pay someone to pick up the trash.

We have a free bin collection here, usually once a week. Bins were free as well, those made from lorry tyres.

Most of the bins are in a sorry state now, because of the kids jumping all over them, but they are still useable.

Because every house has a roadside bin, you are rarely more than 5 metres from one.

When somebody finishes a drink or a snack, they simply throw the package/carton on the ground wherever they are, even if there is a bin 2 steps away!

Your idea of supplying everyone with a bin maybe a good idea, but getting people to actually use the bins is a different matter.

[Mosha]

provide big trash cans to your neighbors, provide plastic bags then pick up the trash weekly or twice a week for free from them. Or pay someone to pick up the trash.

We have a free bin collection here, usually once a week. Bins were free as well, those made from lorry tyres.

Most of the bins are in a sorry state now, because of the kids jumping all over them, but they are still useable.

Because every house has a roadside bin, you are rarely more than 5 metres from one.

When somebody finishes a drink or a snack, they simply throw the package/carton on the ground wherever they are, even if there is a bin 2 steps away!

Your idea of supplying everyone with a bin maybe a good idea, but getting people to actually use the bins is a different matter.

My mate in the city had to give the bin cart driver an incentive, just to drive an extra 50 metres up his soi.