The Industry Ministry will require that all vehicles transporting hazardous industrial waste be equipped with GPS devices to reduce illegal dumping.
Pasu Loharnchun, director-general of the Industrial Waste Department, said the department aimed to enforce the regulation in July so vehicles without the global positioning system (GPS) system and those failing to supply movement data to the department would not get the licence needed to transport hazardous waste.
The department already tested the system so it will be ready when the regulation is enforced. It is estimated that about 1 million tonnes of hazardous industrial waste need to be properly managed each year.
According to the department’s database, 70,311 factories operate businesses that might impact the environment and communities. Of the total, 28,178 factories, or 40%, have already put in place proper industrial waste management. The department will therefore focus on persuading more factories to join the system, said Mr Pasu.
The country now has a total of 1,694 industrial-waste management factories.
The department has launched a mobile application, GPSHZW DIW, for Android smartphones and on its website. The app allows real-time tracking of transport vehicles.
Industry Minister Atchaka Sibunruang said instances of illegal industrial-waste dumping had been found regularly despite the fact that the transport of hazardous waste was controlled. A compulsory GPS system would help to improve management efficiency with real-time tracking.