The Federation of Thai Industries (FTI) is urging improved waste management standards and better management of waste-to-energy businesses to reduce negative effects on nearby communities.
Teerapon Tirawasin, chairman of the FTI's environmental management industry club, said even though the government had set waste management as a national agenda and supported waste-to-energy facilities, concerns remained about adverse effects on communities.
The club wants the government to raise environmental standards of waste management for community acceptance, choose suitable technology for each area and improve collaboration between the public and private sectors in the waste-to-energy business.
Mr Teerapon said Thailand should adopt the international standard for waste management with the "3Rs" — reduce, reuse and recycle. The Thai system has been heading in the wrong direction for years. Rubbish is generally dumped in landfills before thinking of reuse or recycling, making it difficult to support waste-to-energy businesses.
That has raised concerns among people in the waste-to-energy business as well as residents living near landfills about low management standards.
Mr Teerapon said the government's regulations on waste management covered only the issue of pollution, which he believed was not enough.
"The government should set standards at every stage of the process such as transporting, storing, combustion and the disposal of ashes to make sure that environmental effects on the community are minimised," he said.
Mr Teerapon said government policies to support waste-to-energy projects had created many private projects. However, there were no strict regulations to guarantee whether those projects were operated appropriately and safely.
He said the government should use companies with experience of operating waste-to-energy projects with good environmental standards as role models for other companies that want to enter the business.
Mr Teerapon said the government should also encourage new investment in waste-to-energy projects by reducing complicated paperwork.