PHUKET - Thailand’s most popular resort island is seeking better ways to get rid of trash that is increasing in volume with the post-pandemic revival of tourism.
Every day 1,100 tonnes of garbage is trucked to a waste disposal plant in the province, deputy governor Norasak Suksomboon said on Friday. The number was up from 742 tonnes in 2022 and 961 tonnes last year, according to figures from the provincial statistics office and Pollution Control Department.
Mr Norasak discussed the challenges the province faces at the 25th Inter-Islands Tourism Policy Forum, which has brought 150 global tourism leaders and policymakers to Phuket to discuss the future of tourism, sustainability challenges and strategies to build resilience to climate change.
The permanent resident population of Phuket was 418,000 as of 2021, according to the Provincial Administration Department. The figure does not include people from outside the province and other countries working on the island.
The island welcomed 11 million local and foreign tourists last year, compared with 5.7 million in 2002, according to figures from the Ministry of Tourism and Sports.
The province has only one incinerator operated by the Phuket municipality which can handle only about 900 tonnes of garbage daily. The rest is sent to dump sites around the island. Only 10% of the trash in Phuket is recycled and 60% is organic waste, the Pollution Control Department says.
Mr Norasak called for help from volunteers and environmentally conscious residents to join a campaign to reduce trash by turning organic waste into compost or soil improvers instead of transporting it to disposal facilities.
He said the province needed help from them to tackle the problem on their doorsteps.
The municipality began a trial of a “garbage bank” in Samakkee Samkong community in Muang district early this year to recycle waste and trash. If successful, it will be rolled out to other locations, Thai PBS has reported.