The shocking truth behind Samui’s garbage disposal crisis

[phetphet]

They will get there arse in gear quickly enough if there is an outbreak of Typhoid or Cholera.

[sambum]

They will get there arse in gear quickly enough if there is an outbreak of Typhoid or Cholera.

Yes, that's already been said, and that the Mayor will then probably take full responsibility for solving the crisis!

[Tropicalevo]

The dumping of garden rubbish and rubble in the government collection areas was cited as one of the reasons that the incinerator plant broke down in the first place but of course the 'Samui Slammers' will never accept that this could be so.

Would you be ever so kind and explain because it does not make sense to me.

Anyway.... additional information though I think some of the dates are incorrect. http://www.globalislands.net/userfiles/thailand_3.pdf

From memory (and it was a while ago) the reason for the problem was that building rubble does not burn easily and that garden refuse contains high levels of water - again, does not burn easily.

For the life of me I cannot remember what magazine/article I read that in, but it was a long time ago. About the same time that the mayor of the day asked for all garbage to be put in black bags and to put garbage in designated areas before 7 am or after 7 pm. (Less unsightly and reducing the time garbage spent in the heat of the day.)

That's the best that I can remember notmyself.

[notmyself]

http://issuu.com/discoversamui/docs/samui_gazette_-_10082010

[NickJ]

Sink the entire shi@ hol$

[sambum]

http://issuu.com/discoversamui/docs/samui_gazette_-_10082010

Situation critical - and that was in 2010!!!

[Mr Somtam]

Its been critical for five years then...

[samuijimmy]

One has to wonder how many posters here, actually separate their garbage and recyclables... ???

So easy to do ... and there are lots of people who make a bit of extra cash by collecting the recyclable materials ..... every bit helps....

I came across one area today where some of the garbage trucks park during the day...(about ten of them) .... very obvious, the guys (or their families) who collect the garbage separate out any thing they can to recycle...

Think Think! before some of you post such rubbish~!

That's not general garbage in those bags....

[longtom]

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Sink the entire shi@ hol$

Thank you, we always welcome well informed and constructive comments here. Keep up the good work!

[Tropicalevo]

http://issuu.com/discoversamui/docs/samui_gazette_-_10082010

good research notmyself but I think that we have to go back further to read about the rubble and garden refuse etc.

[PoorSucker]

One has to wonder how many posters here, actually separate their garbage and recyclables... ???

Does not really matter 90% of posters on this thread do not live here on the island.

They just come here to for their own usual 'paradise lost' rant.

[notmyself]

One has to wonder how many posters here, actually separate their garbage and recyclables... ???

So easy to do ... and there are lots of people who make a bit of extra cash by collecting the recyclable materials ..... every bit helps....

I separate everything even to the point of type of metal. Glass, plastics up to type 4 (type 5 and above cannot be recycled), paper/cardboard though not juice cartons as they are plasticised and not recyclable, steel (must food cans, beer bottle tops and jar lids along with aluminium. Keep everything in the house and every few months go see the old lady of the village (Yai or P'Yai) to sell it all as a job lot. She keeps the money which is generally around the 700 Baht region. Such behaviour is likely why my rent has not been increased in the 5 1/2 years I have lived in the place. Excess food I generally give to the local wildlife such as chickens (I get free eggs) and soi dogs for bones etc. My 'household waste' footprint must be something like 500g per week.

[notmyself]

http://issuu.com/discoversamui/docs/samui_gazette_-_10082010

good research notmyself but I think that we have to go back further to read about the rubble and garden refuse etc.

There is no reason why garden waste should be a problem though obviously rubble would be.

The dates mentioned in the PDF I linked to are inaccurate as far as I remember. Whilst it is true that the plant was not functioning in 2008 it is untrue to suggest that that was when it ceased to function. It was certainly not working in 2006.

Some dates in the following could be inaccurate by a year or so.

After being built in '98 the plant had a service contract which some years later was ceased to be paid for. When it all went tits up in 2003 (or maybe 2004) there was nobody able to fix it nor finance available to get outside contractors to do it. After quite some time the plant started up but at a vastly reduced capacity until sometime around late 2005 or first half of 2006. It fell silent until (I think but pretty sure) November 2009 when it was again running at reduced capacity. After 3-4 months it gave up the ghost again and was abandoned. The entire area is just a dumping ground now.

[ksamuiguy]

You have the dates about right. I looked at the plant operation and maintenance in 2002-2003.

The plant was operating very well but there was not enough garbage to justify it's operation (only 25%) capacity.

I also don't think anyone was paying for the use of the plant. The operation was expensive as was the maintenance.

A figure of 8,000,000 a year to operate the plant was thrown around by staff.

I got the feeling that those who used the plants services were not paying.

Has anyone (engineers) taken a look and see what it would take to get the plant up and running again?

I imagine a lot, but not as much as the alternative, what ever that will ever be.

I also remember around 2007-2008 I needed a weight check on my truck, the official scale was the Incinerator plants weighing station. Evidently only a receipt from them was allowable by the Transport people.

They were not willing or able to fix it because no one wanted to pay what it would cost repair and no one could or wanted to deal with, the logistics of getting it up and running again.

To bad a great plant when it was in operation.

[nidieunimaitre]

Does anybody know what the general situation in Thailand is? Does rubbish usually get dumped or just burned or burned properly?

[notmyself]

To bad a great plant when it was in operation.

Very sad, shocking to be honest. It's all very well to say that Samui generates significant income but mosy of it goes to Surat and very little comes back. It is only when turmoil occurs such as the floods in 2011 that any cash is injected into the infrastructure. Samui lives on a knife-edge in perpetuity.

[sambum]

Sink the entire shi@ hol$

What a shi@ post! No attempt at contributing anything positive or negative at all to the discussion. If you can't think of anything constructive to say, why bother?

[notmyself]

You have the dates about right. I looked at the plant operation and maintenance in 2002-2003.

The plant was operating very well but there was not enough garbage to justify it's operation (only 25%) capacity.

I also don't think anyone was paying for the use of the plant. The operation was expensive as was the maintenance.

A figure of 8,000,000 a year to operate the plant was thrown around by staff.

I got the feeling that those who used the plants services were not paying.

Has anyone (engineers) taken a look and see what it would take to get the plant up and running again?

I imagine a lot, but not as much as the alternative, what ever that will ever be.

I also remember around 2007-2008 I needed a weight check on my truck, the official scale was the Incinerator plants weighing station. Evidently only a receipt from them was allowable by the Transport people.

They were not willing or able to fix it because no one wanted to pay what it would cost repair and no one could or wanted to deal with, the logistics of getting it up and running again.

To bad a great plant when it was in operation.

Some interesting points particularly about running at 25% capacity. It could be that the plant was shut down rather than broke down in 2003/4 in order to allow for a build up of 'stock' as it were and 'they' were unable to get it up and running again.

Also

Has anyone (engineers) taken a look and see what it would take to get the plant up and running again?

Plant has been abandoned for a considerable time so anything of value (read metal) would have been ripped out. I would have thought it highly unlikely that the plant could ever see active service again without an investment higher than that of rebuilding from scratch.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9_jY--ZwKFA#t=253

[Jimbo1964]

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Why it is shocking? there is no money in disposing of the garbage, only costs, so let's us not do today

what we can do next year...

There is a lot of money in converting waste to energy, creating bio fuels, organic fertilizers from organic waste, plus recycling. Its happening all around the world. Even old building materials and rubber tires can be mainly recycled and reused. Burying or burning it is just stupid and its not that good for our environment either.