Designated dumps sought for hazardous waste
By The Nation

 

File photo

 

BANGKOK: -- The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) is able to dispose of just two tonnes of the 30 tonnes of hazardous waste that residents discard on a daily basis, so it’s seeking the public’s cooperation.

 

The items include electronic equipment, batteries and fluorescent-light tubes.

 

Pollution Control Department chief Jatuporn Burutpat acknowledged after a City Hall meeting on Thursday regarding a joint public-private effort to deal with hazardous waste that the BMA was responsible for collecting and properly disposing of the material.

 

He said the city couldn’t handle the huge amount of waste being discarded in such a disorderly fashion, so his department and the BMA were urging residents to dump their cast-offs at designated locations. 

 

Randomly discarding it could harm the environment, Jatuporn said. 

 

He said the authorities would seek the private sector’s help in designating drop-off locations at schools, condominiums, housing estates and prominent business establishments.

 

City clerk Kriengpol Pattanarat said the hazardous garbage – old electronics, batteries, light bulbs and tubes and the like – contained heavy metals such as lead, cadmium and mercury that require secure disposal to avoid contaminating the environment and affecting people’s health. 

 

He said the city collects about 10,000 tonnes of garbage a day, two tonnes of which constituted hazardous waste, whereas residents generate an estimated 30 tonnes of hazardous garbage per day.

 

Designated disposal locations for hazardous materials were thus essential, Kriengpol said. The city had hired a private firm, licensed by the Pollution Control Department, to dispose of the collected material at a rate of Bt11,000 per tonne, he said.

 

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/news/national/30317030

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2017-06-02

So where exactly are these official "designated" disposal locations ?

Shouldn't there be one in every town where residents can bring all their recyclables,old furniture and construction waste etc
to be "properly" disposed of instead of just dumping it on the nearest unused plot of land or along the road ?

Most western countries have fully embraced separate recycling bins. In Thailand I see people rummaging through bins and collecting recyclable materials.  Perhaps the gov could set up recycling centres and pay these hard working people an additional subsidised rate for their efforts.

Edited June 2, 20179 yr by Tilacme
additional subsidised rate

This is actually a constant source of frustration cum amusement for me.

 

Our Condo has 3 rubbish bins - Green, Yellow and Red - depending on what the waste is and therefore how it is (or should be) disposed of.

 

My dear wife solemnly sorts our rubbish in accordance with these colour-coded bins, in particular dead batteries, fluorescent light tubes etc. etc. are assigned the the Red bins without fail; however every day I see the BMA Truck pull up to the collection point and simply tip all 3 bins into their standard Green truck!

 

Patrick

Edited June 2, 20179 yr by p_brownstone

I'd like to know too... where are these supposed collection centers where things like old batteries, florescent tubes, electronics, etc etc can be brought for supposedly safe disposal??  And not just chucked into the regular garbage.

 

Informal guys on the street recycling for regular stuff like bottles, cans, cardboard, etc. is great and a source of income for those folks. But you really don't want those folks dealing with chemicals, pesticides, batteries, etc. And they probably wouldn't take or want them anyway.

 

45 minutes ago, TallGuyJohninBKK said:

I'd like to know too... where are these supposed collection centers where things like old batteries, florescent tubes, electronics, etc etc can be brought for supposedly safe disposal??  And not just chucked into the regular garbage.

Pattaya Bay.

Found some answers for mobile phones and batteries here:

 

 

On 6/2/2017 at 7:32 AM, webfact said:

Designated dumps sought for hazardous waste

 

Is Thailand full?

In a country where many people just stand up and walk away from the pile of rubbish they just created on the beach, toss their empty drinks containers out of the car window, burn all sorts of plastic in their front yard, and often block the storm drains with their garbage, it seems a bit ambitious to expect them to drive a few km to dispose of their batteries and light bulbs.

1 minute ago, chickenslegs said:

In a country where many people just stand up and walk away from the pile of rubbish they just created on the beach, toss their empty drinks containers out of the car window, burn all sorts of plastic in their front yard, and often block the storm drains with their garbage, it seems a bit ambitious to expect them to drive a few km to dispose of their batteries and light bulbs.

 

The info I shared above wasn't so much for Thai natives, but instead, the quite a few members here who have opened multiple threads over the past couple years asking the same question -- where to take old phones and batteries for recycling. Since many of us, if not the Thais, are aware that it's environmentally hazardous to be putting lithium ion batteries and the metals in electronics into landfills.

 

Of all the TVF threads I read on the subject last night, most were just the questions being asked, and very few if any viable recycling locations being offered. And some of those that were don't exist anymore, apparently in part due to the security fears about domestic terrorism bombers dropping stuff into trash bins and such in malls and elsewhere.

1 minute ago, TallGuyJohninBKK said:

 

The info I shared above wasn't so much for Thai natives, but instead, the quite a few members here who have opened multiple threads over the past couple years asking the same question -- where to take old phones and batteries for recycling. Since many of us, if not the Thais, are aware that it's environmentally hazardous to be putting lithium ion batteries and the metals in electronics into landfills.

 

Of all the TVF threads I read on the subject last night, most were just the questions being asked, and very few if any viable recycling locations being offered. And some of those that were don't exist anymore, apparently in part due to the security fears about domestic terrorism bombers dropping stuff into trash bins and such in malls and elsewhere.

I was referring to the original Nation article and being a bit facetious. 

 

I support any effort to clean up the country and dispose of waste appropriately. I do my bit. I am sure that many Thais do also.

1 hour ago, chickenslegs said:

I support any effort to clean up the country and dispose of waste appropriately. I do my bit. I am sure that many Thais do also.

 

I was on the phone last night at home, talking with AIS customer service about whether AIS had any kind of formal phone/battery recycling program for its customers.

 

The woman CSR on the phone seemed annoyed that I was asking her this question, and if even though she clearly didn't know of any such AIS program, could she at least check further on my behalf and let me know if perhaps some program did exist.

 

And at one point, I think I asked her, "Well, what do Thai people do when you have an old phone or battery to dispose of?" And her answer to me was, "I think we just throw them in the trash."

 

Edited July 22, 20178 yr by TallGuyJohninBKK

Anywhere Somchai decides to throw it, they dont  care as  long as its NIMBY, however just over the wall in the vacant lot is  fine

On 02/06/2017 at 8:32 AM, webfact said:

Randomly discarding it could harm the environment, Jatuporn said. 

Does. 

 

Not could. 

 

Does.