Illegal dumping of trash on Phuket site has worsened, says expat resident

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Illegal dumping of trash on Phuket site has worsened, says expat resident
Anthika Muangrod


The illegal rubbish dump on private land on Soi Namjai.

PHUKET: -- The illegal dumping of garbage in Rawai, first reported in The Phuket News just under a year ago has gotten progressively worse, with the land owner saying he’s finding it impossible to stop people from dumping rubbish on his land.

Canadian expat Andy Greenlay, 72, who with 10 others has been picking up garbage in the Soi Namjai area for 15 years, says that they are no longer making a dent in the trash problem – it’s outstripping their efforts.

Mr Greenlay first complained to The Phuket News and said the focus of the problem is a patch of private land opposite the local market. The problem does not stem from the market, Mr Greenlay explained, because garbage trucks from Rawai Municipality pick up the rubbish from the market.

But they don’t collect the garbage piling up opposite. This is private land, and the Municipality has responsibility for the collection of garbage only from public places.

“I have been living here for more than 30 years,” Mr Greenlay told The Phuket News. “I was here when there were only three Canadian on Phuket here a dozen or so foreigners in Patong. It was all rice fields then.

“Now we have more than a square kilometre is filled with plastic bags and garbage. I have no control over this and the Or Bor Tor [Municipality] doesn’t do anything about it. Their job is to keep the town clean, to look after Rawai. But they don’t seem to care. All they worry about is getting elected.”

The owner of the land, who asked not to be named, told The Phuket News that he has been trying every way to stop people dumping garbage there. He even closed off the entrance to the land with barbed wire.

“I strung barbed wire around the garbage area to let people know that no one can dump anything here. But some people – I don’t know yet who – came and removed it, so people continue to dump garbage in my place.

“I think the people [who snipped the wire] may have been vendors in the market because they need somewhere to park their cars. I really don’t know what to do now.

“People have stopped dumping garbage in daytime because I asked those who live in the area to call me if they saw the wrongdoers, so that I could call the police to arrest them.

“But now people come and dump garbage here at night time, about 7pm or later.

He doesn’t want to go and check at night time, in case he gets attacked.

It’s not just the illegal dumpers who are making money. Some brazen local entrepreneur has also jumped on the bandwagon, the landowner explained.

He asked around, and said someone who lived nearby was collecting a fee to allow people to dump trash on his land. He visited the man, but no one answered the door.

“Every time when I catch someone dumping garbage on my land I ask them whether they would like it if someone dropped trash in front of their house. They all agreed they wouldn’t like it.

“I tried setting fire the garbage but municipal officers came and said I was causing air pollution. So I don’t really don’t know now what I can do.”

Asked what action they could take over the problem, Surachet Jitmaet at the Rawai Municipality Public Health Department said that the municipality can take care only of garbage in public areas, not on private land.

“We have no [legal] right to do anything on private land. By law, the land owner has to take care of his own land. In this particular case, I’m not sure if he is allowing people to dump garbage there or not. If not, when people come and dump garbage like that, he can sue them.

“We take care of the garbage from the market because the vendors leave all the trash at the pick-up point, which is on public land, so, we can take care of it.”

“I would suggest the land owner does something serious about blocking off his land. He should make a proper fence that no one can remove. I’m sure then that the problem will stop,” he added.

Source: http://www.thephuketnews.com/illegal-dumping-of-trash-on-phuket-site-has-worsened-says-expat-resident-45098.php


-- Phuket News 2014-03-11

[LivinginKata]

A few years ago we had a similar problem on the waste ground at the bottom on Nanai 2 in Patong. Was not the unsightly dumping, it was the setting fire and the toxic smoke from the plastics burning. My wife just kept on phoning the environment department of the Patong municipality every time there was a fire burning. Did not take so long for the dumping to cease.

[steelepulse]

This happens all over the island unfortunately. Once a couple people dump their trash, everyone seems to think it's a new dump zone and the trash accumulates very quickly.

[Phuketboy]

All they need to do is place industrial bins or any kind of bins around the place. The problem with the rubbish in thailand is there are no bins located along the streets so people have no place to put rubbish except on the ground. Who is responsible for this to be done?

Edited March 11, 2014 by Phuketboy

[Xonax]

This problem with rubbish dumping is the same all over Thailand. Hard to understand how anyone can find this country beautiful anymore, because everywhere I go, rubbish is blocking my view to the beauty. Everywhere in this country you find Thai´s dumping garbage on private land and the landowners don´t think that it is their duty to remove the garbage.

[Benmart]

Where the is lax enforcement and lax enforcement, many people will take the easy, softer way. Illegal dumping is not just a Phuket problem. Most places I've been to, from Chiang Main to Nong Kai to Pattaya to Hua Hin, it's a similar story.

Sad, but unless the authorities act aggressively, this problem will continue. The Land of Smiles is becoming The Land of Rubbish and Garbage.

[JetsetBkk]

All they need to do is place industrial bins or any kind of bins around the place. The problem with the rubbish in thailand is there are no bins located along the streets so people have no place to put rubbish except on the ground. Who is responsible for this to be done?

And what would these bins be made of? Plastic, wood, metal? All valuable stuff and wouldn't stay there long. Why do you think there aren't rubbish bins in most streets and beaches?

[NamKangMan]

All they need to do is place industrial bins or any kind of bins around the place. The problem with the rubbish in thailand is there are no bins located along the streets so people have no place to put rubbish except on the ground. Who is responsible for this to be done?

And what would these bins be made of? Plastic, wood, metal? All valuable stuff and wouldn't stay there long. Why do you think there aren't rubbish bins in most streets and beaches?

"Why do you think there aren't rubbish bins in most streets and beaches?" - one reason is, because you can conceal explosives in them.

[jpeg]

All they need to do is place industrial bins or any kind of bins around the place. The problem with the rubbish in thailand is there are no bins located along the streets so people have no place to put rubbish except on the ground. Who is responsible for this to be done?

And what would these bins be made of? Plastic, wood, metal? All valuable stuff and wouldn't stay there long. Why do you think there aren't rubbish bins in most streets and beaches?

Concrete? Bloody everywhere. That's why their outside seating doesn't get nicked.

[keestha]

Heart of the matter is that if you are stuck with garbage the municipality will not collect, like when you are doing a building project, your only options are to burn it if possible, which is illegal at least in residential areas, or to dump it somewhere illegally. You can pay somebody to take it away, but he will also dump it illegally someplace.

In many out of the way places I saw signs saying in Thai:" forbidden to throw away garbage", obviously the land owner is afraid somebody will discard his stuff there, others see it laying there and follow suit, and in no time it will have become a full blown garbage dump.

[SOMeTOM]

"Canadian expat Andy Greenlay, 72, who with 10 others has been picking up garbage in the Soi Namjai area for 15 years, says that they are no longer making a dent in the trash problem – it’s outstripping their efforts."

That's what locals would address as "stupid people" , and you think about it, they are right (unfortunately)....

"he has been trying every way to stop people dumping garbage there"

Well, it doesn't seem he tried to build a high wall around the site, maybe that would help a bit ? To keep hoping on the goodwill of locals to behave as decent human beings and not wild beasts as their usual, do not produce the expected effects.

It's not just a Pucket's problem, just look around you when you travel around, rubbish of all sorts everywhere. The only way they understand is if you challenge them directly and using a very direct language, that way the most of them will stop.
I had similar problem in the past, and they would say that i am the problem and not their rubbish dumping's habit, as this is Thailand and that's part of their culture (!).....
The solution would be to teach them about civic's education from schools, and not just expecting them to sing songs and dress paramilitary uniforms, while not caring the slightest bit if they behave as wild animals, as when they grow up, that's just what they will be, a result of an almost totally absent education, so, what do you expect?!

[stevenl]

The 'someone who lived nearby was collecting a fee to allow people to dump trash on his land' put a fire to the trash yesterday early evening. So it looks much better now.

[JetsetBkk]

The 'someone who lived nearby was collecting a fee to allow people to dump trash on his land' put a fire to the trash yesterday early evening. So it looks much better now.

You think a black circle surrounded by unburnt white trash bags looks better?

The smell of burning plastic was extremely noxious, not that anyone "working" for the municipality of Rawai gives a flying .... .

[stevenl]

The 'someone who lived nearby was collecting a fee to allow people to dump trash on his land' put a fire to the trash yesterday early evening. So it looks much better now.

You think a black circle surrounded by unburnt white trash bags looks better?

The smell of burning plastic was extremely noxious, not that anyone "working" for the municipality of Rawai gives a flying .... .

Who sad something about sarcasm to me last week, and about 'the usual suspects'?

[FireMedic]

How about a big sign in Thai that says trespassers will be shot on sight?

[JetsetBkk]

The 'someone who lived nearby was collecting a fee to allow people to dump trash on his land' put a fire to the trash yesterday early evening. So it looks much better now.

You think a black circle surrounded by unburnt white trash bags looks better?

The smell of burning plastic was extremely noxious, not that anyone "working" for the municipality of Rawai gives a flying .... .

Who sad something about sarcasm to me last week, and about 'the usual suspects'?

Dämn, I missed that!

Touché!

[starkey_rich]

Five or six years ago, I think it was the Gazette used to publish photo's of the rubbish dumped around Phuket.

I don't know if they were stopped doing this or there were just too many photo's to print but I think they should start it again

[JetsetBkk]

Five or six years ago, I think it was the Gazette used to publish photo's of the rubbish dumped around Phuket.

I don't know if they were stopped doing this or there were just too many photo's to print but I think they should start it again

6 years ago the Gazette printed these pictures while they were running their "let's shame the dumpers" stories:

http://www.phuketgazette.net/archives/articles/2008/article6358.html

- with a story that nothing would be done "as they weren't caught in the act".

With such blatant inaction and corruption on this island, there is no hope of getting the administration to do anything about dumping on private land, or pollution from burning it.

They don't care and/or can't be bothered.

They are an absolute waste of oxygen.

.