Trying to recycle in Samui

[oldlady]

The last post that discussed recycling in Samui was in 2009. Knowing how quickly things change on Samui, I would like to know if there is any update on recycling on the island. I will be moving to Samui on a permanent basis in July 2014 and would very much like to recycle bottles, cans, plastic, etc. I will not be living in an area that is serviced by a garbage pick up so not only do I need to know where the dump is but I also need to know where I can recycle. Can anyone help? Thanks so much.

[robsamui]

Well, nine hours and no answer - the silence says a lot!

In a word - no. There is no island-wide system of recycling. Well, not in the way you might know it back home, where you'll be fined if you put potato peelings into the paper-only bin and every supermarket and mall has bottle and plastic banks. Things work differently here.

You can take this on two levels. Firstly, every set of green wheelie bins you see at the side of the road is visited several times each day by scavengers. They make a living by separating the glass(?) tins and plastic out of the mess and selling these on to collection points which then send them to the mainland. As far as I know (please correct me!) there's nothing in it for paper and cardboard waste. But the cans and plastic bottles will be scrobbled up fast. Personally I separate the tins, bottle and plastic into one bin bag and stuff the rest into another one - reckon it makes life easier for the scavenger. Either way, it gets removed.

On the other hand there is a very active recycling program being run by the Thai Hotels Association, although this isn't publicly known or subscribed to. There are a lot of resorts involved in this scheme; the leading resorts even recycle the waste water from bathrooms and drains and filer it to drinkable purity, the rest going on irrigation. Used cooking fat is collected and converted to bio-diesel fuel. Vegetable waste is converted into EM (Effective Micro-organisms) to use as fertiliser or natural disinfectant and paper and board waste is similarly recycled. There is a scheme here where plastic waste is treated and sent to Northern villages where one of The King's Projects subsidises them to create (quite attractive) shopping bags etc. They are very organised. And as far as I am aware, this has all come about simply because there are no public or government schemes to do this kind of thing (popular attitude = incinerate everything).

So the other way to enter into the spirit of the thing is to contact your nearest Green resort and make an arrangement so that you (plus friends) can be included in their recycling scheme. The most sensible way to do this would seem to be that you discuss what they need to collect, separate it and bag it accordingly, and then they'll send someone to collect it all once a week or so.

If you are interested, I'll PM you the contact details for the Chairman of the THA Green Project.

R

[samuijimmy]

Nine hours Rob??? Question was posted at 18.50.... I was out to lunch or would have got on this sooner !

There are a number of recycling places around, up some of the Soi's ... one that comes to mind is on Soi 5 Maenam... but there are others around, I just cannot place where at the moment! Not hard to spot...

But I too, separate out the bottles, plastic, tins, etc seperated into bags and leave them at a green bin....There many green bins dotted around the island...

This as Rob says saves the pickers from having to go through regular garbage.... They usually head around in the late after noon evening... so it does not sit there long....

There are people who go around with pick up trucks, and collect too, Saturday often .... depending on where you live they will stop and take the stuff for you...

It's actually better organized than people think!

Edited April 16, 2014 by samuijimmy

[Rooo]

Wow, just put your recycling in a bag next to one of the green bins.

[oldlady]

Thanks so much, Rob and Jimmy. These are easy things to do. I would like the contact details for the Chairman of the THA Green Project, but I'm not sure what you mean by PM (post message?) to contact me with the information. I can certainly separate the tins, plastic bottles, etc, and put them out at the greeen wheelie bins, but was wondering about newspapers, magazines, plastic wrap. Perhaps they could be given to the participating hotels if they can use them.

Thanks again for the help

[robsamui]

Nine hours Rob??? Question was posted at 18.50.... I was out to lunch or would have got on this sooner !

There are a number of recycling places around, up some of the Soi's ... one that comes to mind is on Soi 5 Maenam... but there are others around, I just cannot place where at the moment! Not hard to spot...

But I too, separate out the bottles, plastic, tins, etc seperated into bags and leave them at a green bin....There many green bins dotted around the island...

This as Rob says saves the pickers from having to go through regular garbage.... They usually head around in the late after noon evening... so it does not sit there long....

There are people who go around with pick up trucks, and collect too, Saturday often .... depending on where you live they will stop and take the stuff for you...

It's actually better organized than people think!

Oh you're always gettin at me!

Just cos my computer is still set at Jamaican Winter time.

This is what it said . . . .

The wheelie bins and soi collections might be better organised than some people think, but I have yet to hear of street schemes and public community plans which filters waste water and bottles it for drinking, uses the vegetable waste (which no collector wants and remains stinking on the street to be incinerated, plus genherating CO2) for bio fertiliser, generates bio-diesel from chip fat or feeds into The King's Projects for the benefit of underprivileged areas in the rural north.

I'm told that what happens on the street is purely commercial - collector A sells it to yard B, yard B sells it to mainland plant C which then cashes in on the profit from the scrap. This is fair enough. It clears the streets. But I suspect that the people in this chain are not interested in the environment in the least. The "recycling" they do is to make a living. The final processing is unregulated and generates vast amounts of toxic by-products, and whatever is left over gets thrown over the wall or dumped into the sea. It may clear the streets a bit but is hardly "green".

I know for a fact, having been in close contact with the principals, that the THA are concerned about this - hence their consolidated move to rectify the environmental damage from either incineration or commercial 'recycling'. What this group now need to do is to is to raise the awareness of the several thousand farangs living here and and extend their admirable schemes to encompass the sympathetic public.

R

[samuijimmy]

Thanks so much, Rob and Jimmy. These are easy things to do. I would like the contact details for the Chairman of the THA Green Project, but I'm not sure what you mean by PM (post message?) to contact me with the information. I can certainly separate the tins, plastic bottles, etc, and put them out at the greeen wheelie bins, but was wondering about newspapers, magazines, plastic wrap. Perhaps they could be given to the participating hotels if they can use them.

Thanks again for the help

Same same for boxes and newspapers, magazines .... just leave them bundled ....

Plastic wrap, not sure about... it depends on the type... I think! Heavy plastic.... I usually put in the bags (plastic bottles etc)

Not sure why Rob, would be on Jamaica Time Zone ? Rob is always on, different time zone! .... No matter!

[robsamui]

Thanks so much, Rob and Jimmy. These are easy things to do. I would like the contact details for the Chairman of the THA Green Project, but I'm not sure what you mean by PM (post message?) to contact me with the information. I can certainly separate the tins, plastic bottles, etc, and put them out at the greeen wheelie bins, but was wondering about newspapers, magazines, plastic wrap. Perhaps they could be given to the participating hotels if they can use them.

Thanks again for the help

PM = personal message - check the top right-hand corner of the Thai Visa page for a red number!

R

[Tropicalevo]

Rob is correct re the scavenging - but they do also take clean cardboard and blue plastic pipe. They earn a living by visiting the bins before the garbos turn up. Some scavengers only take one type of gabage - cans, or plastic bottles etc etc.

An alternative is - we store all recyclable stuff and get someone to collect - cutting out the scavengers and getting more baht per kilo.

I am told that boxes of empty beer bottles (Leo in Leo boxes, Archa in Archa boxes etc - no mixed bottles in a box) fetch a good price.

Aluminium cans are next in value. (Ring pulls are worth more - but we donate them to a charity to make artificial limbs.)

Next in value - plastic bottles followed by clean, dry cardboard. Then newspapers and finally glass bottles.

I am not sure where blue plastic pipe fits in all of this - but is has a value.

My staff make a few hundred baht every month by doing this.

[AsterixThai]

Discharge is in Lamai.

Garbage trucks will empty their load.

People come sort. The rest is pushed into the ravine

Edited April 17, 2014 by PoorSucker
quote removed

[robsamui]

Discharge is in Lamai.

Garbage trucks will empty their load.

People come sort. The rest is pushed into the ravine

WOAH - really pretty - it should be on the tourist map!

And I'm sure all that polystyrene and plastic won't take long to decompose - a very green approach.

R

Edited April 17, 2014 by robsamui

[samuijimmy]

Discharge is in Lamai.

Garbage trucks will empty their load.

People come sort. The rest is pushed into the ravine

WOAH - really pretty - it should be on the tourist map!

And I'm sure all that polystyrene and plastic won't take long to decompose - a very green approach.

R

Wow! There is a road I have not seen .... that is pretty bad!....

So one wonders if the ever got the incinerator up and going again... ?

[carmine]

Discharge is in Lamai.

Garbage trucks will empty their load.

People come sort. The rest is pushed into the ravine

WOAH - really pretty - it should be on the tourist map!

And I'm sure all that polystyrene and plastic won't take long to decompose - a very green approach.

R

Well there is that massage garbage dumping site near departures which is most tourists first, or possibly last impression of the island.

It really would be sensible to relocate the site of cover the view. Its really awful.

whilst the TAT makes comical statements about the island being green maybe they should go about making an entire generation of thais aware of what green issues are. Whats the point in making some dumd statement unless locals are educated into the right and benefit of changing their ways?

[robsamui]

Discharge is in Lamai.

Garbage trucks will empty their load.

People come sort. The rest is pushed into the ravine

WOAH - really pretty - it should be on the tourist map!

And I'm sure all that polystyrene and plastic won't take long to decompose - a very green approach.

R

Well there is that massage garbage dumping site near departures which is most tourists first, or possibly last impression of the island.

It really would be sensible to relocate the site of cover the view. Its really awful.

whilst the TAT makes comical statements about the island being green maybe they should go about making an entire generation of thais aware of what green issues are. Whats the point in making some dumd statement unless locals are educated into the right and benefit of changing their ways?

Another generation yet, I think.

All 26 of the local schools now have green awareness and conservation as part of their daily curriculum (the only 'local authority' to have adopted this - thanks to the ongoing work with the Green Project offshoot of the THA). So with a bit of luck they will grow up to be far more aware than their parents currently are . . .

R

[pokerspiv]

When you "recycle" in your home country, they just dump most of it in the same landfill anyway. It makes people feel good about themselves though.

Here in Thailand they don't see the point in pretending to recycle stuff.

[spidermike007]

The last post that discussed recycling in Samui was in 2009. Knowing how quickly things change on Samui, I would like to know if there is any update on recycling on the island. I will be moving to Samui on a permanent basis in July 2014 and would very much like to recycle bottles, cans, plastic, etc. I will not be living in an area that is serviced by a garbage pick up so not only do I need to know where the dump is but I also need to know where I can recycle. Can anyone help? Thanks so much.

He mentions that things change quickly on samui. Let me recite how things are changing (or not) on samui.

1. It is getting more expensive every day.

2. There is more traffic and congestion every day.

3. Other than the little bit of road work being done in the Lipa Noi area, nothing else of real import is being done to improve the islands infrastructure.

4. The blackouts continue, even though we were promised that would end, with the new cable from the mainland.

5. The beaches continue to get fouled, and the dumping of waste into the sea, continues on a daily basis. The reefs continue to die, and some days the beaches smell like an open sewer.

6. Bangkok Airways airfares continue to rise. Does the govt. fulfill its responsibility by preventing any of this? No.

7. Room rates continue to go up.

8. Either the central government continues to ignore the island, or all the money they are giving Samui is being stolen by the local power brokers. This is evidenced by the lack of work being done to improve the island.

9. There continues to be no recycling done on a municipal level. We have to count on local pickers to collect our plastic and glass.

Does anyone in a position of power care? Why is there no pride in Samui? Why doesn't anyone in power care to keep the water clean? Samui is such a beautiful place, as long as one gets away from the ring road. Recycling? That would be a very progressive idea. Samui is the very antithesis of progressive. Progress does not come to Samui. Progress passes Samui by. Samui stands still, or Samui goes backwards in time. Samui does not move forward in a meaningful way. The quality of life on Samui is declining. Most of us who spend any time on Samui see this.

• Like This

[notmyself]

I separate all mine including paper/ card and keep it in the house. Every six weeks or so I tell the old lady over the way and she calls someone in to collect for which she gets some money.

[PoorSucker]

1. It is getting more expensive every day.

Tesco, BigC, Makro has same prices as mainland.

Gasoline 2 baht more / liter than mainland.

2. There is more traffic and congestion every day.

True, on the ring road between Lamai and Maenam.

3. Other than the little bit of road work being done in the Lipa Noi area, nothing else of real import is being done to improve the islands infrastructure.

Actually very good road now from Hua Thanon to Nathon.

Good road Hua Thanon to Bophut.

Nothing done Bophut to Nathon.

4. The blackouts continue, even though we were promised that would end, with the new cable from the mainland.

Some areas are affected, personally not a single blackout in 8 months.

5. The beaches continue to get fouled, and the dumping of waste into the sea, continues on a daily basis. The reefs continue to die, and some days the beaches smell like an open sewer.

Never been affected (south Chaweng)

6. Bangkok Airways airfares continue to rise. Does the govt. fulfill its responsibility by preventing any of this? No.

Bandit Airways.

7. Room rates continue to go up.

You can still get a room in southern Chaweng for 500 baht.

8. Either the central government continues to ignore the island, or all the money they are giving Samui is being stolen by the local power brokers. This is evidenced by the lack of work being done to improve the island.

Not true, remarkable change after Samui was declared as special city zone, 2 years ago.

9. There continues to be no recycling done on a municipal level. We have to count on local pickers to collect our plastic and glass.

True

[khunPer]

To OP:

I live away from the Ring Road with no public garbage collection, so I have an agreement with a garbage collector – a lady on motorbike with sidecar – who comes every morning and collects the garbage from my house and the neighbouring restaurant. Pay her 10 baht a day, i.e. 300 baht/month. She nicely clean up everything if some soi-dogs have been mingling with garbage bags, so worth the money.

I separate the glass bottles, plastic bottles and other reusable plastic, and cans in a separate clear plastic bag, so the content is visible – collects till a bag is full – and place it next to the black garbage bags. That stuff is worth money, so I wish the kind “garbage-lady” to have it; therefore I will only set the bottle-bag out late night, as it otherwise disappears before the garbage collector arrives. That is the “old answer” of how to dispose of alu-cans and other reusable items: Just put them next to garbage, they will be gone within the hour…

Reusable paper and cardboard can also go in a separate bag – best a clear bag, so content is visible – I don’t, as there is another old lady in the neighbourhood collecting that, whom I wish to support.

Any reusable or recycle item I will place next to the garbage and it’s always gone – again, I have to place it late if I wish my usual “garbage-lady” to benefit from it.

Wish you welcome to Samui in July.

[khunPer]

4. The blackouts continue, even though we were promised that would end, with the new cable from the mainland.

Some areas are affected, personally not a single blackout in 8 months.

A new “big” underwater power cable has been laid from the mainland and into Maenam a year ago, after that no black-outs; except for repairs or local transformer/fuse problems, which normally are dealt with within hours.

5. The beaches continue to get fouled, and the dumping of waste into the sea, continues on a daily basis. The reefs continue to die, and some days the beaches smell like an open sewer.

Never been affected (south Chaweng)

Have not noticed any more waste, beaches are nicely cleaned. Don't know about reefs, as I don't Scuba dive.

6. Bangkok Airways airfares continue to rise. Does the govt. fulfill its responsibility by preventing any of this? No.

Bandit Airways.

That's positive, then we may get more of so-called “quality tourists”

7. Room rates continue to go up.

You can still get a room in southern Chaweng for 500 baht.

New constructions are more expensive, however the older ones don't seem to rise rates more than fair – if rise at all. However a number of older bungalows have been sold and replaced by new hi-class resorts, and higher rates...

[robsamui]

The last post that discussed recycling in Samui was in 2009. Knowing how quickly things change on Samui, I would like to know if there is any update on recycling on the island. I will be moving to Samui on a permanent basis in July 2014 and would very much like to recycle bottles, cans, plastic, etc. I will not be living in an area that is serviced by a garbage pick up so not only do I need to know where the dump is but I also need to know where I can recycle. Can anyone help? Thanks so much.

He mentions that things change quickly on samui. Let me recite how things are changing (or not) on samui.

1. It is getting more expensive every day.

2. There is more traffic and congestion every day.

3. Other than the little bit of road work being done in the Lipa Noi area, nothing else of real import is being done to improve the islands infrastructure.

4. The blackouts continue, even though we were promised that would end, with the new cable from the mainland.

5. The beaches continue to get fouled, and the dumping of waste into the sea, continues on a daily basis. The reefs continue to die, and some days the beaches smell like an open sewer.

6. Bangkok Airways airfares continue to rise. Does the govt. fulfill its responsibility by preventing any of this? No.

7. Room rates continue to go up.

8. Either the central government continues to ignore the island, or all the money they are giving Samui is being stolen by the local power brokers. This is evidenced by the lack of work being done to improve the island.

9. There continues to be no recycling done on a municipal level. We have to count on local pickers to collect our plastic and glass.

Does anyone in a position of power care? Why is there no pride in Samui? Why doesn't anyone in power care to keep the water clean? Samui is such a beautiful place, as long as one gets away from the ring road. Recycling? That would be a very progressive idea. Samui is the very antithesis of progressive. Progress does not come to Samui. Progress passes Samui by. Samui stands still, or Samui goes backwards in time. Samui does not move forward in a meaningful way. The quality of life on Samui is declining. Most of us who spend any time on Samui see this.

• Like This

STILL AVAILABLE . . . ;-)

[wmchen]

Hi guys,

I have learned about making artificial limbs with donated aluminum pull tabs. I saved alot for donation and don't know where to go. I am in malaysia.

Thanks in advance.

[herb59]

yes, you can recycle the island.

[samuijimmy]

Hi guys,

I have learned about making artificial limbs with donated aluminum pull tabs. I saved alot for donation and don't know where to go. I am in malaysia.

Thanks in advance.

I know a few people who collect these pull tabs, for that purpose, but don't know where they go.... I will see if I can find out ...in Thailand at least

[samuijimmy]

4. The blackouts continue, even though we were promised that would end, with the new cable from the mainland.

Some areas are affected, personally not a single blackout in 8 months.

A new “big” underwater power cable has been laid from the mainland and into Maenam a year ago, after that no black-outs; except for repairs or local transformer/fuse problems, which normally are dealt with within hours.

5. The beaches continue to get fouled, and the dumping of waste into the sea, continues on a daily basis. The reefs continue to die, and some days the beaches smell like an open sewer.

Never been affected (south Chaweng)

Have not noticed any more waste, beaches are nicely cleaned. Don't know about reefs, as I don't Scuba dive.

6. Bangkok Airways airfares continue to rise. Does the govt. fulfill its responsibility by preventing any of this? No.

Bandit Airways.

That's positive, then we may get more of so-called “quality tourists”

7. Room rates continue to go up.

You can still get a room in southern Chaweng for 500 baht.

New constructions are more expensive, however the older ones don't seem to rise rates more than fair – if rise at all. However a number of older bungalows have been sold and replaced by new hi-class resorts, and higher rates...

Re # 3 Forgotten here is the new "super highway" between Maenam and Lamai .... I like that one! ... no crazy traffic especially at rush hours and no traffic lights .... Also several Sois to the middle of the island, are being concreted!

Re # 5 Most of the beaches are good, around the island, a big overstatement that they are all bad

Re # 7 Always thought Chawang was over priced for places to stay, ... in Maenam and Ban Por, there are a number of places @ 299 baht per day (215 baht a day if rented by the month! ) Two I have seen and are quite new, not old dumps! Room with bed and bathroom... basic! .... But then too there are full one bedroom houses that include utilities for 6000 to 9000 pm.. and up of course! But really in the years I have visited and lived here, many prices same or slight increase...

Re # 9 It's not a "nanny state" here...(is that not why many of us moved here apart from the climate ?) I think good that free enterprise is taking initiative .... lots to improve on, but they do try ...

Getting back to the original topic, garbage and recycling, it not that difficult to deal with .... just don't expect house to house pickup! Bins are also located up and down most Soi's ....you just drop it off!

[notmyself]

4. The blackouts continue, even though we were promised that would end, with the new cable from the mainland.

Some areas are affected, personally not a single blackout in 8 months.

A new big underwater power cable has been laid from the mainland and into Maenam a year ago, after that no black-outs; except for repairs or local transformer/fuse problems, which normally are dealt with within hours.

For sure, blackouts used to be an issue but they are now a rare inconvenience.

I've been here a long time and for me things really started to change for the better after the floods in 2011. I was very sceptic about change a couple (?) of years ago but I was proved wrong, much has changed and for the better. 10 years ago if the power went down which was often, 4 hours minimum. These days it happens very less often (I've had 2 this year) and when it does happen it is sorted in under and hour.

[Tropicalevo]

Hi guys,

I have learned about making artificial limbs with donated aluminum pull tabs. I saved alot for donation and don't know where to go. I am in malaysia.

Thanks in advance.

I know a few people who collect these pull tabs, for that purpose, but don't know where they go.... I will see if I can find out ...in Thailand at least

I believe that it is someone at Nathon Hospital. I am 2 -3 steps from the contact but I will try and trace them.

It's a real buugger having to drink those beers just to get the ring pull!

[pokerspiv]

Well this escalated very quickly into a "bitch about everything in Samui" thread.

[SamuiRes]

Hi guys,

I have learned about making artificial limbs with donated aluminum pull tabs. I saved alot for donation and don't know where to go. I am in malaysia.

Thanks in advance.

I know a few people who collect these pull tabs, for that purpose, but don't know where they go.... I will see if I can find out ...in Thailand at least

I believe that it is someone at Nathon Hospital. I am 2 -3 steps from the contact but I will try and trace them.

It's a real buugger having to drink those beers just to get the ring pull!

This is the link to the Prostheses Foundation which benefits from the ring pull tabs.

http://www.prosthesesfoundation.or.th/eng/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=90&Itemid=88

[wmchen]

Many thanks to you guys. for your information only 30% are from beer. instead of carting those tabs

to Thailand, I'm selling them here and donate through participation bank. thanks again burrrp.