Koh Samui is threatened with undisposed garbage totaling about 250,000 tonnes

[bheard]

I always said that Koh Samui is "A huge mountain of accumulated garbage"

And now it has been confirmed.

Lets hope next time it floods it won't bring a nasty plague upon the place

Ground water with leached chemicals is the real hazard and it's all over Thailand. Interesting theory about bisphenol A (BPA) from plastics in the environment and the disproportionate number of trans-gendered males.

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2010/11/18/research-proves-genderbending-chemicals-affect-reproduction.aspx

Just a question but are the complainers on this thread recycling as much as possible? Buying only refillable beverages, separating organic waste for composting, etc etc ? I know I am. I throw out one small bag mostly chicken bones and bathroom tissue waste a week. I'd compost the bones, too but the cat gets into them.

Thailand certainly is set upon killing the golden goose in her tourist dependent regions.

The obvious answer is to kill the cat, dispose of it's carcase thoughtfully, and live happily ever after.

Actually I agree with your comments, people have themselves to blame, in every country. It's just that here in Thailand no Thai will take the blame, Thais don't see the need to. And the very nature of tourism means that excess waste is generated.

Anyway, first and foremost, fix the <deleted> incinerators!!

[Deli]

8 years... that says it all !

But being proud of raiding a Massage Parlor in BKK... great people !

[sambum]

Not surprised on this state of things when the island floods frequently from the lack of storm drains that discharge into the sea.

I did not see any flooding problem discussed. Am I looking at the wrong article?

I think the poster was just showing another example of the lack of forethought and planning of the infrastructure on Koh Samui. One could also mention the frequent cuts to the electric and water supplies!

[cumgranosalum]

Everywhere I go here in Thailand has garbage everywhere, it is not only in the national parks and beaches but in every village and town and every city.

Where there are Thais there is garbage...heaps of it.

I used to try to pick it up on the beaches, I would swim around an outcropping of rocks to the next beach with 5 garbage bags and swim back to the beach with all of the garbage bags full and flouting behind me.

Thai people would just smile at me as I tried to find a place to put the garbage in vane. I smiled back but my smile said stop throwing you garbage everywhere you filth.

I gave up a long time ago, it seams to me Thai people can not change, money and face, which means money is all they care about.

Totally wrong assessment of the situation

[robertson468]

I think the only solution to this long standing incompetence is for everyone to start dumping their rubbish outside the Tessebahn. You can guarantee a solution would be found very quickly!

[sambum]

Just so 3rd world. In tourist areas separate bins for recycling should be compulsory, as should regular emptying of the bins. Simple really ! Also how could "they" allow the garbage to accumulate for 8 years without fixing the incinerator. Seems they don't want any more tourists !!!

Quite agree, but I am sure that the "recycling" bins would be treated as just ordinary rubbish bins because even the standard green wheelie bins that are few and far between are almost always full to overflowing, and surrounded by bags of garbage due to the infrequent collection of the garbage.

I seem to remember at least a year ago that the PM had instructed the Governor of Surat Thani to look into the problem and come up with a solution, and prior to that, I read somewhere (Koh Samui Times?) that the Mayor on the island had actually been given a substantial sum of money to have the incinerator(s) fixed. So much for Government "help"!

[Siamwhiteelephant]

There seem to be two areas of evasion of responsibility evident:

• lack of financial help from the government

• failure of households and business operators to comply with the recycle campaign launched by the municipality (evident by all the plastic in the photo and no mention of daily garbage level reductions)

Garbage problems are widespread, happening even in this tourist area, yet many nationals wonder why Thailand is regarded as backward in various ways. C’mon Thailand, quit the denials. Surprise us.

Show us you can learn and change, and that you’re serious about the goal of becoming a developed country! But I suspect our forum is largely only commiserating expatriots venting their voice which hasn't a platform or legitimacy for reaching the authorities and Thais who could conceivably bring about that change.

Edited June 20, 2016 by Siamwhiteelephant

[sambum]

As Samui is an island, the eventual destination of a proportion of that rubbish will inevitably be the sea. Thailand can maintain its position of being amongst the worlds 5 biggest plastic polluters of the oceans (all of them Asian countries)

Much of the rubbish does not need to be generated in the first place. This country has a serious problem with too much packaging on everything. Even a pack of biscuits has individually wrapped biscuits inside.

Tax packaging and use the money to build proper waste disposal plants. Too difficult?

Yes! Too difficult because "they" would probably see fit to employ a few dozen people to implement the scheme, when half a dozen would suffice, they would need air conditioned offices to work in, so by the time you've paid the wages and rent and utility bills, there would not be enough money left to build a dog kennel!

[sambum]

The garbage story about incinerator has different variations – in some news stories there are talked about two, where one is malfunctioning and the other working on 40 percent capacity. The reason for not being repaired was said to be due to warranty claim and discussions with the supplier; which in some stories has gone out of business. These stories has been going on for several years now, dating all way back to when the island had printed weekly newspapers, sometime in the long forgotten past. I saw, the then newly build incinerator back in 2001, so in that case it must have been working some years, if only 8 years with malfunction.

However, it's beyond my understanding, why the local administration had let it go on for that many years, instead of getting at least one – if there are two – incinerator working on full capacity. Expanding tourist business generates a lot of garbage – also indirectly from associated business like restaurants and malls, and furthermore assisting workers – so when applying for permission to build, expand or open tourist related business, a garbage fee should be part to make the incinerator operational, cover ongoing maintenance costs,and expand with back-up capacity; the fee could be a surcharge to the normal collection fee, it would probably not need to be much...

Personally I would not mind either, to pay a little garbage surcharge to get the problems solved.

Good post! We used to live in an area where the garbage was collected on a regular basis, and I willingly paid an additional 50 baht a month on top of the rent to cover the cost. However, the area we live in now does not have its garbage collected, and we have to make our own arrangements to dispose of our garbage - usually in plastic bags to the nearest overflowing green wheelie bin!

[Siamwhiteelephant]

Everywhere I go here in Thailand has garbage everywhere, it is not only in the national parks and beaches but in every village and town and every city.

Where there are Thais there is garbage...heaps of it.

I used to try to pick it up on the beaches, I would swim around an outcropping of rocks to the next beach with 5 garbage bags and swim back to the beach with all of the garbage bags full and flouting behind me.

Thai people would just smile at me as I tried to find a place to put the garbage in vane. I smiled back but my smile said stop throwing you garbage everywhere you filth.

I gave up a long time ago, it seams to me Thai people can not change, money and face, which means money is all they care about.

Totally wrong assessment of the situation

Might be helpful to share your 'right' assessment with evidence to back it, although I believe the Thai people can change about dealing with garbage.

[cumgranosalum]

Everywhere I go here in Thailand has garbage everywhere, it is not only in the national parks and beaches but in every village and town and every city.

Where there are Thais there is garbage...heaps of it.

I used to try to pick it up on the beaches, I would swim around an outcropping of rocks to the next beach with 5 garbage bags and swim back to the beach with all of the garbage bags full and flouting behind me.

Thai people would just smile at me as I tried to find a place to put the garbage in vane. I smiled back but my smile said stop throwing you garbage everywhere you filth.

I gave up a long time ago, it seams to me Thai people can not change, money and face, which means money is all they care about.

Totally wrong assessment of the situation

Might be helpful to share your 'right' assessment with evidence to back it, although I believe the Thai people can change about dealing with garbage.

an assumption that it is purely down to being Thai is just simply racist - you need to review your assessment, if you have any reasoning you'll understand how untenable your position is.

[Siamwhiteelephant]

Everywhere I go here in Thailand has garbage everywhere, it is not only in the national parks and beaches but in every village and town and every city.

Where there are Thais there is garbage...heaps of it.

I used to try to pick it up on the beaches, I would swim around an outcropping of rocks to the next beach with 5 garbage bags and swim back to the beach with all of the garbage bags full and flouting behind me.

Thai people would just smile at me as I tried to find a place to put the garbage in vane. I smiled back but my smile said stop throwing you garbage everywhere you filth.

I gave up a long time ago, it seams to me Thai people can not change, money and face, which means money is all they care about.

Totally wrong assessment of the situation

Might be helpful to share your 'right' assessment with evidence to back it, although I believe the Thai people can change about dealing with garbage.

an assumption that it is purely down to being Thai is just simply racist - you need to review your assessment, if you have any reasoning you'll understand how untenable your position is.

“Racist”? Really, are you for real? I didn’t give any assessment, only the positive belief that “the Thai people can change about dealing with garbage”. Don’t you agree with that? The topic is about a garbage problem in Thailand that needs to be addressed and it is a topic on a forum largely catering for expats. So please respect and allow for sensible discourse.

[inzman]

Lets see, if I was the island boss, new Benz or fix the incinerator? I know what he choose, haha

[Basil B]

One almighty down poor should sort the problem for a few years.

[elgordo38]

The garbage story about incinerator has different variations – in some news stories there are talked about two, where one is malfunctioning and the other working on 40 percent capacity. The reason for not being repaired was said to be due to warranty claim and discussions with the supplier; which in some stories has gone out of business. These stories has been going on for several years now, dating all way back to when the island had printed weekly newspapers, sometime in the long forgotten past. I saw, the then newly build incinerator back in 2001, so in that case it must have been working some years, if only 8 years with malfunction.

However, it's beyond my understanding, why the local administration had let it go on for that many years, instead of getting at least one – if there are two – incinerator working on full capacity. Expanding tourist business generates a lot of garbage – also indirectly from associated business like restaurants and malls, and furthermore assisting workers – so when applying for permission to build, expand or open tourist related business, a garbage fee should be part to make the incinerator operational, cover ongoing maintenance costs,and expand with back-up capacity; the fee could be a surcharge to the normal collection fee, it would probably not need to be much...

Personally I would not mind either, to pay a little garbage surcharge to get the problems solved.

Let's do some math. Let's say fixing that incinerator costs 10 million baht. Let's say new garbage trucks run 2 million and we would like three more. Then let's say the cost to deal with the current mountain of trash is another 2 million baht. Total tab to get back on track: 18 million baht. Divide by the estimated population of 63,000 people on Samui, and you get a little under 300 baht. Even if you call it 30 million baht, it is less than 500 baht per person.

If I ran for election on the platform: "everyone gives 300 baht, and we fix this trash problem now and for a long time", bet I could get elected!

Quit making sense your giving me a headache. Disneyworld does not have to build a franchise here it already exists. Yes a small garbage surcharge would make sense but your dealing with a mentality that "does not compute" Stumbling from one problem to another is all that is understood. Any surcharges collected would not go to solving the garbage problem but only to figure out what color of new Ferrari to buy.

[Redline]

They can't even fix a basic problem like this? The country is doomed without action.

[Siamwhiteelephant]

Everywhere I go here in Thailand has garbage everywhere, it is not only in the national parks and beaches but in every village and town and every city.

Where there are Thais there is garbage...heaps of it.

I used to try to pick it up on the beaches, I would swim around an outcropping of rocks to the next beach with 5 garbage bags and swim back to the beach with all of the garbage bags full and flouting behind me.

Thai people would just smile at me as I tried to find a place to put the garbage in vane. I smiled back but my smile said stop throwing you garbage everywhere you filth.

I gave up a long time ago, it seams to me Thai people can not change, money and face, which means money is all they care about.

Totally wrong assessment of the situation

Might be helpful to share your 'right' assessment with evidence to back it, although I believe the Thai people can change about dealing with garbage.

an assumption that it is purely down to being Thai is just simply racist - you need to review your assessment, if you have any reasoning you'll understand how untenable your position is.

If you want my actual assessment specific to this news report, see my post #37. If you want to oppose someone else’s general assessment at #34, you should be able to give your own with evidence. You’ll notice I didn’t “like” the other person’s post. Doesn’t that also tell you something – such as lack of support? However, I deeply admire his litter collection forays, which you failed to acknowledge of him. Furthermore, those of us from relatively litter-free countries ingrained with the need to deal with garbage effectively, notice all the garbage problems in this country and reject being part of the problem. Is it unreasonable wanting change? That being said, many countries I've extensively travelled in have far worse garbage problems; noticing that is nothing to do with racism.

All I asked was for you to give your evidential assessment, because I’m interested in an alternative assessment, instead of a blanket unsubstantiated claim.

Edited June 20, 2016 by Siamwhiteelephant

[TheLobster]

Please refer to my previous post. This weekend we have had no wind and so many fires, during the day and continuing into the evening ..!... we had to close our windows and doors to stop the burnt plastic smells from filling our house. This is the solution to many on Samui ...... burn everything ... don't worry where the smoke is going.

[The Old Bull]

Lots of farang money comeing in, doesn't anybody pay any taxes? so they can clean up this mess

[elgordo38]

Lots of farang money comeing in, doesn't anybody pay any taxes? so they can clean up this mess

They love the tourist money coming in but spending some of it on keeping the place clean and presentable not so much. It must reach crisis level before they roll up their sleeves and haul out the camera's to record the event and make it public to the world and then sing the song "Yu all Come" They are lulled by TAT's ever increasing numbers "tourism up 10%" that they do not seem to care until nobody comes then its time to care and so the cycle repeats itself.

Edited June 21, 2016 by elgordo38

[sambum]

Lots of farang money comeing in, doesn't anybody pay any taxes? so they can clean up this mess

They love the tourist money coming in but spending some of it on keeping the place clean and presentable not so much. It must reach crisis level before they roll up their sleeves and haul out the camera's to record the event and make it public to the world and then sing the song "Yu all Come" They are lulled by TAT's ever increasing numbers "tourism up 10%" that they do not seem to care until nobody comes then its time to care and so the cycle repeats itself.

I don't always agree with your posts, but this one is spot on! They seem to think that "clean and presentable" is is in some way contrary to traditional Thailand, and that we should accept it "warts and all". And as you say, "tourism is up by 10%" so why worry?

A bit off topic, but a recent conversation with a Thai stallowner went something like this:-

Me:- Things are quiet then?

Thai:- Yes, Low Season

Me:- But tourist figures are up by 10% - same same every year!

Thai:- But people not buy - Low Season

Me:- But if there are 10% more tourists, where are they?

Thai:- Walk, but not buy - Low Season.

At which point, I left, as I couldn't see anybody else "walking"!

However, on topic, the street where the stalls are is spotless. The majority of the stallowners are Burmese, (some Thai) but they erect and dismantle their stalls every day, and when they go home for the night, you can't tell they've been there. So either they tidy up on their own accord, or the Thai landlord makes it part of their "contract" to keep the street clean. Whichever it is, it shows that "where there's a will there's a way"!

Edited June 21, 2016 by sambum

[Moonsterk]

Might be helpful to share your 'right' assessment with evidence to back it, although I believe the Thai people can change about dealing with garbage.

an assumption that it is purely down to being Thai is just simply racist - you need to review your assessment, if you have any reasoning you'll understand how untenable your position is.

It isn't race, or even nationality, it's heritage. Tropical heritage. Hot climate ancestry. Where evolution of the human brain that has abundant food year round never developed the capacity to plan for the future- it never had to.

Why do Chinese heritage Thais run everything in Bangkok? Their ancestry is from cold weather climes where planning and forethought in growing and storing food is crucial to survival.

Look at nations that have the most successful governing and social harmony- all in the extreme north. Now look where the banana republics are- in the tropics. That's why they're called banana republics and we who choose to live in the southern portion of Thailand are living in one.

Thailand has a long way to go before the garbage outweighs the prostitutes and beaches as far as drawing tourists- but it will happen, eventually.

[samuibeachcomber]

It was tourists being blamed for all the garbage a few months ago. If the infrastructure can't cope with the tourist numbers then cut back on the numbers. Forget about counting the baht and think about the environment. If it isn't sustainable there won't be a single satang to count.

charge a fee on every tourist coming to samui on the ferry or arriving by plane at the airport. efficiently collect the fee and then use it to form a committee on how to solve the problem. pay expensive consultants to look into the problem and then hope the problem goes away on its own. only took 10 years to get me thinking like a thai. you will all think i am crazy but i actually understand them and how their systems work now. its so beautiful, now i need to study up on becoming a consultant that specializes in waste disposal incinerators.

come on who are you kidding?..a tourist tax would only fill their back pockets.Only when the mountain of rubbish comes cascading down will something be done

[useronthenet]

Corruption and greed seems to be the answer ... indicative of Thai society !

[eliotness]

Unfortunately it's not just Thais, nearly all of ASEAN, with only Singapore being very different, are among the worst producers of ocean litter in the entire world. Rivers and coasts are regarded as natural waste disposal dumps. Even in some first world countries, litter is a serious problem, just check the internet !

[sambum]

It was tourists being blamed for all the garbage a few months ago. If the infrastructure can't cope with the tourist numbers then cut back on the numbers. Forget about counting the baht and think about the environment. If it isn't sustainable there won't be a single satang to count.

charge a fee on every tourist coming to samui on the ferry or arriving by plane at the airport. efficiently collect the fee and then use it to form a committee on how to solve the problem. pay expensive consultants to look into the problem and then hope the problem goes away on its own. only took 10 years to get me thinking like a thai. you will all think i am crazy but i actually understand them and how their systems work now. its so beautiful, now i need to study up on becoming a consultant that specializes in waste disposal incinerators.

come on who are you kidding?..a tourist tax would only fill their back pockets.Only when the mountain of rubbish comes cascading down will something be done

Or an outbreak of something nasty, because the chances of this happening are increasing by the day, and only then will something be done about it, and everybody will be blaming everybody else whilst running round like headless chickens looking for a solution that preferably doesn't cost any money!

Edited June 23, 2016 by sambum

[brain150]

When people start to die they will have to akt ... and it's probably going to start sooner than many people think.

Decomposing garbage and heavy chemicals don't mix too well together.

It's a desaster waiting to happen !!!

Then again, the people who made the big money will just walk away ... it's the way the world works these days.

In europe they are just smarter to cover it up, but not better in any way.

Edited June 23, 2016 by brain150

[gandalf12]

A new one for the TAT "Samui, the hub of garbage". That should bring the tourists flocking in

[gandalf12]

As with ALL Thailand's natural resources, there is no proper management, no infrastructure and no regulation.....in this case they are as ever shitting in their own nest.

That is a bit under the belt isn't it? Management? What is that? Must be a new foreign device and is something here in Thailand there is no need for so remember that for future posts.

[elgordo38]

On 6/19/2016 at 2:52 PM, clockman said:

No planning or fore thought. For tourism to last you have to reinvest. Thais just think of today! What tourists want to see or smell garbage?

Yes your right incoming is OK outgoing well no. There was more than likely money allocated for repairs but then somebody just skimmed it. Flushing the toilet and watching it disappear and my garbage going down the condo chute are becoming a luxury.