Every Thai produces 1 kilo of waste daily
By Digital Content



BANGKOK, Nov 14 -- Thailand's Department of Environmental Quality Promotion (DEQP) said that last year, each Thai produced 1 kilogram of waste per day, indicating that there is an urgent need to solve the problem and reduce the loss of natural resources and effects on the environment.

The department said that total waste production in Thailand last year was about 26 million tonnes, 64 per cent of which was food waste.

During a seminar on solving waste disposal problems held in Bangkok, DEQP Deputy Director General Sakol Tinagul said Thailand is facing an increase in waste every year.

In 2013, 26 million tonnes of waste were produced in the country, meaning each Thai person was producing 1 kilogram of waste daily.

Of the total, 3 per cent was hazardous waste, 30 per cent was recycled waste, while 64 per cent was organic or food waste, considered quite high, as waste could only be destroyed at a 70 per cent rate, leaving leftover waste to cause methane gas leading to the greenhouse effect affecting the environment as a whole.

The environmental official said that as the private sector has pushed the problem of waste management to become a national agenda item, the sector has developed continually and with high efficiency.

Thailand is currently able initiate a complete waste management process that could destroy more waste, while being environmentally friendly.

Meanwhile, United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) representative Rosa Esrore said the world faces a food waste crisis, with some 1.3 billion tonnes or about Bt32 trillion worth of food is just thrown away every year.

The waste of this amount of food could feed an entire nation having insufficient food, said the UN official. (MCOT online news)


-- TNA 2014-11-14

I believe Thais waste a little less than a kilo a kilo a day, considering the farangs waste much more than that.

But nobody can complaint.....we contribute to the Issan economy and also to the pilling up of rubbish.

Most of it appears to be thrown along the roadside or dumped on vacant land.

The liquid waste you see running through city meat markets really has to be seen to be believed.

Its not hard to know what kind of waste they produce,,,Wheeee,whats that smell?

Styrofoam.

Styrofoam.

How many 7/11 plastic bags does it take to make up 1kg ?, (or 2.2lbs for our metric illiterate colonial cousins)

This is your homework for this evening...

Closest answer get a hot date with "Gaylips" all expenses paid...

>Every Thai produces 1 kilo of waste daily<

Of which 999 grams go out of the car/train window!!

It's not the amount they produce that's the problem.....it's the way they dispose of it !

I think its the Som Tom & various curries.

In 2013, 26 million tonnes of waste were produced in the country, meaning each Thai person was producing 1 kilogram of waste daily.

Personally, I find this headline very misleading. They have simply taken the total tonnage and divided it by population number.

Surely there are thousands of Thais living in the countryside who produce little or no waster per day. People buying products have to dispose of packaging and much of that is recyclable. Composting domestic food waste has not become fashionable and

dumping centres have not been established, hence the roadside garbage dumps we all see around us.

I think a more detailed breakdown of figures would benefit the discussion.

Tough on SomTam, tough on the causes of SomTam

Thailand is a big trash! time to recycle but people are not ready to take care of their trash.

My Missus would do atleast 1kg down the toilet per day considering the amount if visits to it she does.

'Garbology' is a topic which should have degree status and is, in my view, more important than a law degree or an MBA or any of the other degrees which Thai U's churn out by the tens of thousands each year. Besides having no one in Thailand who understands garbage, there's essentially no one who is at the vanguard of alternative energy. Thailand is between 10 and 50 years behind the curve when it comes to environmental awareness. Heck, Thais still throw trash out windows, and have you ever seen an outdoor festival ground the morning after? If the wind hasn't been blowing, there's paper and plastic trash covering every sq. M of several rai. That's just what's visible.

Quite surprised it's as low as 1 kilo

This needs to be put into perspective by comparing to waste generated by other countries.

For instance:

As a nation, Americans generate more waste than any other nation in the world with 4.5 pounds (2.04 kg) of municipal solid waste (MSW) per person per day, fifty five percent of which is contributed as residential garbage.^{[5] ( wikipedia)}

A high percentage of organic waste is a good thing.

It will decompose.

All the methane gas produced can and should be collected and used as fuel as it is in many land fills in the west.

I don't see 1 kilo per day of mostly organic waste as a real problem.

Trashy story.

I believe Thais waste a little less than a kilo a kilo a day, considering the farangs waste much more than that.

But nobody can complaint.....we contribute to the Issan economy and also to the pilling up of rubbish.

Spot on. But there needs to be the realisation that with economic growth comes much more waste and the present waste management system in many areas is unable to cope.

That said, I've always been impressed with their recycling efforts at the grassroots. Pick-up trucks loaded with plastic water bottles and wotnot.

But Thai waste is thrown away in a plastic bag....can't get enough of plastic bags in Thailand. Plastic bags rule in Thailand!!!

An accurate per capita figure should include industrial and commercial waste as well. Accuracy...blah...who needs it.

An accurate per capita figure should include industrial and commercial waste as well. Accuracy...blah...who needs it.

In total waste, using the wikilink in WILLYUMIII's post above, Denmark and the Netherlands were the largest waste producers. UK third, America 4th.

I think many juveniles constitute a vast amount of wasted space.

...and their elders a little bit more.

even more produced after eating a plate of lao food

My 1 kg of waste is usually flash down the loo.

But Thai waste is thrown away in a plastic bag....can't get enough of plastic bags in Thailand. Plastic bags rule in Thailand!!!

In our village (Isaan) it's ALL burned. There is NO trash collection.

I believe Thais waste a little less than a kilo a kilo a day, considering the farangs waste much more than that.

But nobody can complaint.....we contribute to the Issan economy and also to the pilling up of rubbish.

nonsense! farangs try to "not use plastic bags" They get thrown at you in 7-11 and supermarkets. dont blame foreigners , its Thailand and Thai people who dont give a **** about their environment, from Pollution to waste its "same same"

The headline is incomplete... it should read: Every Thai produces 1 kilo of waste daily and throws it onto the side of the road while driving (preferrably in national parks), into the sea from boats (preferrably in national parks) and into the jungle right next to where they live...

I had a nice joke regarding produced waste - but it would've been somewhat inappropriate - so I'll just chuckle and move on to the next news-item

Incredible figures !

The report suggests that Thai's waste about 16,000,000 tons of food per year !

Seems a sad indictment on their society.

Does this figure take into account the spoiled rice accumulated under the rice pledging scheme?