The government is planning to use loans to reward companies which have a good track record on waste management in an attempt to reduce pollution and protect the environment.
Speaking at an online seminar, permanent secretary of the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources, Jatuporn Buruspat, said the government is aware of the threat posed by industrial waste, the mismanagement of which has led to severe environmental degradation in many areas.
"We are going to have a talk with banks to encourage them to extend loans to companies that have good practices in terms of their waste management. On the other hand, they should also not give a loan to companies which have a bad track record with environmental management," Mr Jatuporn said.
Pruek Siroratanasret, chief of the industrial waste division under the Department of Industrial Works, said the loans should help smaller companies meet the requirements for industrial waste management.
On a separate note, Mr Pruek said that the department is now preparing an eManifest which will allow authorities to track how companies transport their industrial waste to their processing site. The system will come online on Dec 1, he said.
Meanwhile, Penchome Sae-tang, director of Ecological Alert and Recovery Thailand (Earth), said that it is necessary to reform the Department of Industrial Works' rule which allows industrial plants to build a landfill for non-hazardous waste on their own land.
Current regulations are too lax, making it difficult to launch an investigation in the event on an industrial accident, she said.
According to the department, the country generated 18.06 million tonnes of industrial waste last year, 16.77 million tonnes of which were non-hazardous.