Bangkok Faces A Smelly Future If Garbage Goes Unchecked

[surangw]

the politicians stink worse

[rotorbreeze]

This issue with garbage and recycling takes years of education, commitment and enforcement. I dont see this problem improving for decades to come.

Yes education...I set an example in separating plastic, glass and cans, of course washed and get my visitors not just to throw used Yogurt plastic cups with general waste. I collect table scrapes in small plastic bags. I am from Canada and we have bins outside to collect paper and glass, works well. Now about commitment, Thai's lack this in a big way..the bins I place garbage bins are usually overfull and surrounding area has mattress and toilets! I doubt any enforcement is possible here...unless the local authorities will make money from some money out of private contractors owned by politicians. Thai's insist no shoes allowed in sleeping quarters and even the temples are spotless, while watching local cars dump trash on road side, I scolded one young boy as he threw a empty wrapper to pick up and put in garbage bin...again education to young and old. Thais must take a serious look at their surrounds, as for Indonesia chewing gum is prohibited in the country...all we can do is just watch and set an example on personal commitment in REDUCING the number of plastic bags the grocery stores use..I now see re useable cotton shopping bags instead of plastic at Big C...great stuff. Reduce Recycle and Reuse...the 3 R's

Ron

[hellodolly]

Had a senior few moments here. I was half way through the article before I realized it wasn't the garbage the politicians are dishing out.

I hope they understand that if they don't get rid of that Bangkok will still smell.

[harada]

The whole of Asia, except Singapore ,looks like a garbage dump, wherever you look there's rubbish, the place is a pigsty.

So introducing 20 strokes of the rattan for littering accross asia should clean the place up then .

[ericthai]

a successful recycling system needs education and it will take years until it works well.. in Germany where people normally follow the laws and regulations it took already 10 years until the recycling system worked acceptable... I don't wanna make any assumptions how long it might take to implement a recycling system in Thailand.... the article mentioned that BKK produces 9,745 t of garbage daily. Now these polititians proudly presents an incinerator plant which can handle 500 t daily... GREAT!... and Chinese technology.. copied from where? What is the solution for the small rest of only 9,245 t daily????? Landfilling on Chinese standards????? ah, I see the solution in the article now... reducing the amount of collection vehicles to make the collection more efficient, save some money and build a park... it really stinks, but it always starts stinking at the head...

There are systems where the power plant can take in all the waste and separate the recyclables on it's own. Then process the waste stream. They must be speaking to the Chinese or some company with very old technology as the new systems would produce a net power of 20-25 Mw from 700 tons per waste, and this would be considered a small system. We designed a system that will produce 60-65Mw with 1,200 tons of waste per day. I cant believe Bangkok is producing this much waste. I'm sure as usual the numbers being stated in this article are incorrect. I would think Bangkok waste production to me more around 4000 maybe 5000 tons per day. They need to do their homework, but I'm sure they wont and just work with the group that will give them the highest kickback as possible. I would love to meet with them and help them solve this issue, but nothing in Thailand changes, 10 years from now they will still be talking about this.

[whybother]

If there is no effective waste management, Bangkok will be overwhelmed with garbage in 2015 when the integration of the Asean community allows the free movement of workers within member countries.

I don't see what the (supposed) free movement of workers within ASEAN has to do with effective waste management.

Beat me to it. Stupid assumption.

I guess other ASEAN countries pay their waste disposal workers more than their Thai counterpart so when free movement is introduced they'll be off to where the pay is the highest. As a footnote, I've been told in the past that one of the absolute lowest paid jobs in Bangkok is the very brave road sweeper.

"Supposed free movement if labour" isn't that free. It only includes a few professional jobs and not construction workers, factory workers, maids or garbage collectors.

[willyumiii]

I have commented befor about the iresponsibility if Thai with the proper disposal of plastics, ie, not throwing all garbage on the ground and not burning plastics....and arrogent Thais told me it was a problem caused by farangs who have made plastic products available to Thai people...go figure!

Well it's true, isn't it???

Were plastic bags invented by Thai's?

Point of origin has nothing to do with responsible use, love of the earth or reasonable consern about the future..what has been invented by Thais? pollution has knows no borders..we all suck the same air and water.....no consern for others or the future is the real problem here.

[DocN]

I have commented befor about the iresponsibility if Thai with the proper disposal of plastics, ie, not throwing all garbage on the ground and not burning plastics....and arrogent Thais told me it was a problem caused by farangs who have made plastic products available to Thai people...go figure!

Well it's true, isn't it???

Were plastic bags invented by Thai's?

So?

Nearly nothing you see on the streets, was invented by Thais.

Now what?

Back to the stone age?

The thing is to USE these things in a responsible way eg educating people about recycling and stuff.

But sure: since when do Thais take responsibility for anything they do?

It is all someone elses fault!

[ginjag]

At a Local village-Udon area, they provided Those waste bins made out of car tyres and supplied every household with one. BUT there is no collection. So everyone empties the contents out and burns it then the precess starts again.... Who the hell got the monies to pay for these bins ??? again who gained What ???

[sms747]

At a Local village-Udon area, they provided Those waste bins made out of car tyres and supplied every household with one. BUT there is no collection. So everyone empties the contents out and burns it then the precess starts again.... Who the hell got the monies to pay for these bins ??? again who gained What ???

At least you got a bin, we are waiting for one like everyone else on our estate for three months-the local authority have no money to buy them. So stuff just get dumped outside, at least they do come and pick it up once a week, well most of it. We seem to be in a rubbish zone as stuff is dumped along the road for hundreds of yards, lots of dealers who burn stuff off, sometimes it looks like a war zone.

[ginjag]

At a Local village-Udon area, they provided Those waste bins made out of car tyres and supplied every household with one. BUT there is no collection. So everyone empties the contents out and burns it then the precess starts again.... Who the hell got the monies to pay for these bins ??? again who gained What ???

At least you got a bin, we are waiting for one like everyone else on our estate for three months-the local authority have no money to buy them. So stuff just get dumped outside, at least they do come and pick it up once a week, well most of it. We seem to be in a rubbish zone as stuff is dumped along the road for hundreds of yards, lots of dealers who burn stuff off, sometimes it looks like a war zone.

I was going to buy a proper bin, the the local auth., gave us all one,,,sort of plant potsize didn't hold much so we all had to burn the contents..no collection as I said.

The local town has a collection, it recycles all and the proceeds go to the local govern---ooops council.

Now I sort out and seperate card/paper--tin-iron-plastic-glass-aluminium-tvs-fans electrics etc---take it 3 kilometers and every month I get about 100 bht for my effort.

[sms747]

Thai's are quite good at recycling, they don't throw cans, bottles and cardboard into the trash as they can get money for these things, even if it' just a few baht they will not waste if there is money in something. Trouble is there are always piles of crap lying around waiting until somebody takes it to the scap man, usually me as it's seen as a bit shameful by the mrs to be seen doing it!

Edited February 17, 2013 by sms747

[Pimay1]

At a Local village-Udon area, they provided Those waste bins made out of car tyres and supplied every household with one. BUT there is no collection. So everyone empties the contents out and burns it then the precess starts again.... Who the hell got the monies to pay for these bins ??? again who gained What ???

At least you got a bin, we are waiting for one like everyone else on our estate for three months-the local authority have no money to buy them. So stuff just get dumped outside, at least they do come and pick it up once a week, well most of it. We seem to be in a rubbish zone as stuff is dumped along the road for hundreds of yards, lots of dealers who burn stuff off, sometimes it looks like a war zone.

I was going to buy a proper bin, the the local auth., gave us all one,,,sort of plant potsize didn't hold much so we all had to burn the contents..no collection as I said.

The local town has a collection, it recycles all and the proceeds go to the local govern---ooops council.

Now I sort out and seperate card/paper--tin-iron-plastic-glass-aluminium-tvs-fans electrics etc---take it 3 kilometers and every month I get about 100 bht for my effort.

Good show old boy that is enough for two Leos

[Morden]

The problem, as has already been said, is nationwide. It may be more apparent in congested cities such as Bangkok.

Despite the ease with which recyclable waste can be sold out in the sticks, there are still many villagers who either burn everything, plastic and all, or just dump it at their feet and leave it. We have a neighbour who has a garden full of rubbish and yet he and his wife just swing in their hammocks all day with crap around them.

I don't see how the less educated will ever change. Most wear helmets only near police check points and ride like demented zombies despite all of the motorcycling deaths and injuries amongst family and friends. They don't accept any form of social responsibility, don't understand hygiene and ignore laws which aren't enforced anyway.

[tongoy]

a successful recycling system needs education and it will take years until it works well.. in Germany where people normally follow the laws and regulations it took already 10 years until the recycling system worked acceptable... I don't wanna make any assumptions how long it might take to implement a recycling system in Thailand.... the article mentioned that BKK produces 9,745 t of garbage daily. Now these polititians proudly presents an incinerator plant which can handle 500 t daily... GREAT!... and Chinese technology.. copied from where? What is the solution for the small rest of only 9,245 t daily????? Landfilling on Chinese standards????? ah, I see the solution in the article now... reducing the amount of collection vehicles to make the collection more efficient, save some money and build a park... it really stinks, but it always starts stinking at the head...

There are systems where the power plant can take in all the waste and separate the recyclables on it's own. Then process the waste stream. They must be speaking to the Chinese or some company with very old technology as the new systems would produce a net power of 20-25 Mw from 700 tons per waste, and this would be considered a small system. We designed a system that will produce 60-65Mw with 1,200 tons of waste per day. I cant believe Bangkok is producing this much waste. I'm sure as usual the numbers being stated in this article are incorrect. I would think Bangkok waste production to me more around 4000 maybe 5000 tons per day. They need to do their homework, but I'm sure they wont and just work with the group that will give them the highest kickback as possible. I would love to meet with them and help them solve this issue, but nothing in Thailand changes, 10 years from now they will still be talking about this.

I agree with you that every modern waste incineration plant produces around 24 MW from 700 t daily, but a modern incineration plant is costly. Then it wouldn't be enough left for put into the own pocket. I don't know how many inhabitants are connected to the waste collection in BKK, statistics shown 8,300,000 up to 12,000,000 inhabitants for BKK. By taken 8,000,000 only, with a total daily waste of 9,745 t the production of waste per inhabitant would be around 450 kg per inhabitant, an amount which would be quite normal. I assume that BKK produces even more than the mentioned 9,745 t daily, but only parts of the city are really connected to the waste collection. Waste recycling, waste to energy, all plants are not self-supporting, even if the valuable materials can be sold or energy can be produced, it needs still additional funds for operation and and investments. It is like you said, Thais politicians don't like to invest, they will do what brings the most profit for themselfs and not what brings the most profit for the population or the environment.

[Pimay1]

You can bet your bottom Baht that the elites of the PTP will come up with a multi billion Baht scam for this.

[somtampet]

At a Local village-Udon area, they provided Those waste bins made out of car tyres and supplied every household with one. BUT there is no collection. So everyone empties the contents out and burns it then the precess starts again.... Who the hell got the monies to pay for these bins ??? again who gained What ???

At least you got a bin, we are waiting for one like everyone else on our estate for three months-the local authority have no money to buy them. So stuff just get dumped outside, at least they do come and pick it up once a week, well most of it. We seem to be in a rubbish zone as stuff is dumped along the road for hundreds of yards, lots of dealers who burn stuff off, sometimes it looks like a war zone.

there are bins for sale u know,and quite cheap

[somtampet]

every street stinks now, what are they on about. Thais simply throw their garbage where ever they want, I saw one couple go fishing, they pulled up and threw a big bag of garbage into the water then got out their rods and started fishing, they are totally stupid. In Bangkok of a night the streets are full of rats where ever there is a market, the sellers just throw all their scraps in the gutter so naturally the rats have a feast. Drivers simply open their windows and toss their rubbish on the street, no one cares. They are simply too stupid to realize that this causes disease, I have given up trying to tell them differently, they are all guilty of it.

I rest my case,been saying for years that Bangkok is a cesspit,now some are agreeing.I feel sick when i go to Bangkok,hate the place,my eyes are streaming within 3 minutes

Last summer, a Brit couple had been staying near me in Chiang Rai. They hadn't seen other parts of Thailand so chose to visit Bkk. After a few days, when they returned, the first and main thing they went on about was how the place stank - everywhere they went. And of course the trash all around.

They are right

[kimamey]

The modern world needs to look at garbage from a new perspective.

I thought this was about Bangkok. As far as I'm aware most of the modern world has already looked at this from a different perspective and are doing something about it. It may not all be as effective as we would hope but I think Bangkok and Thailand in general is way behind.

As others have probably said the first thing would be not giving plastic bags with every thing and straws with any liquid. My gf bought me some hay fever tablets in a blister pack which measured about 2 or 3 cms wide and around 4 to 5 cms long. This was placed in a slightly larger resealable bag and then put in a another bag with handles, presumably on the assumption that we wouldn't know how to carry it otherwise.

It does seem to be accepted practice including in my gf's family to drop rubbish on the ground so that's where children learn it. I know a teacher who on seeing this in school asked 'Would you do that at home?' The answer was 'Yes'.

[Kaker]

The whole of Asia, except Singapore ,looks like a garbage dump, wherever you look there's rubbish, the place is a pigsty.

Yes, Japan is a total pigsty.

[monkeycountry]

"Just getting people to stop treating the drains like an all purpose garbage can would be a start."

very true, I just need to tell the x-governor to stop throwing sand bags into the drains.

Did you not understand the purpose of those sandbags? What do you think happens if you have a flooded river and a low lying street, and the 2 are connected with a drain? Yes, water will flow from the river through the drain and out on the street flooding it, unless of course the drain is blocked with sandbags. Once the flood is over, and the waterlevel in the river subsides, you can remove the sandbags. I honestly thought it was only red shirts and PTP who did not understand this!

[ginjag]

I read so many stories about (my wife/girlfriend/family/theirkids) similar to my wife pushes loads of food down my kids mouths----my kids throw rubbish where they want---my girlfriends family are all guilty of not caring about rubbish, or disposing of it properly.

Posters say 'I try to tell my wife/girlfriend but it creates problems with her and family.

What the hell do some posters get married into this sort of situ--or live with G/F in this situ. havent you got some pride??? are some posters too weak kneed to stop and not put up with it ??

O.K. sorry if I upset some posters BUT LIve with this for WHAT ??? surely your mam didn't teach you to condone this dirty way of living.

[monkeycountry]

In Denmark all supermarkets sell large reusable plastic bags at around 7-8 baht/pcs. The price is the same at all suprmarkets. By large I mean a bag that can easily carry say 20 cans of coke. They are the only bags available (no free bags). People buy them and bring them next time they go shopping, so they do not have to buy new bags all the time. Further they make sure each bag is full, before buying an extra bag. These same bags are also used as garbage bags at home, minimising the need for the usual black garbage bags. Many plastic bags have various recycle logos on them, but I am not sure what exactly that means.

[monkeycountry]

If going to buy new/more garbage trucks, then buy the ones used in the west, that has a mechanism that can lift up garbage containers and empty them into the truck. This way large containers with wheels can be used as garbage bins. These containers are strong and can contain lots of garbage, they do not leak unless broken of course and there is no way stray dogs can tip them over. Further, it would make life easier for the hard working garbage collectors!

[witsawakorn]

The whole of Asia, except Singapore ,looks like a garbage dump, wherever you look there's rubbish, the place is a pigsty.

On the concept of transforming garbage into clean energy, they could jumpstart the program with that comment.

Actually the process of transforming garbage into clean energy has already started. I am working on a project to build a Waste to Energy Plant (WTE) which will be built near to the existing Nong Khaem waste collection depot in Western BKK. The plant will have exhaust gas scrubbers installed and will burn about 500 tons/day of garbage to generate nearly 10MW of power which is sold to MEA. Its a small start but a step in the right direction. A second plant is already planned for Phuket

[finnomick1]

If going to buy new/more garbage trucks, then buy the ones used in the west, that has a mechanism that can lift up garbage containers and empty them into the truck. This way large containers with wheels can be used as garbage bins. These containers are strong and can contain lots of garbage, they do not leak unless broken of course and there is no way stray dogs can tip them over. Further, it would make life easier for the hard working garbage collectors!

They have these large garbage containers all along Beach Road in Jomtien, maybe every 100 metres so the beach deckchair operators can dispose of rubbish responsibly......trouble is, the guys on the garbage truck ACTUALLY sift through the rubbish as it's tipped into the truck, segregating cans, glass bottles etc., etc., so they can make a few bob ( baht ) on the side. And who can blame them, have you ever been stuck in the traffic behind one of the garbage trucks ? The stench is vomit inducing.

There are answers to the garbage problem -- it begins with education which is severely lacking here. You can ( try to ) educate the children in school, but it's the rest of the population who also need educating and that's where it will fall down. A lot of Thai's seem to be able to live with crap ( sorry ) everywhere. These people seem to be quite happy with throwing anything anywhere, they just don't care = lack of respect for their country and environment. Hygiene, like respect seems to be a word omitted from the language. One of the first phrases my 4 year old nephew has learned is " in the bin " and he knows exactly where to dispose of his rubbish but when I asked my local repair man why he had just thrown the old engine oil from a machine of mine he was repairing down the drain into the sewer system in the local town he said all the shops did it -- amazing Thailand.