Evaluation of Plastic Waste Management in Thailand Using Material ...

1.1 Background
Chapter 1
Introduction
Significant increase of municipal solid wastes (MSW) is one of the main environmental
issues in both of developed and developing countries. Population growth, urbanization, and
industrialization are the causes of increasing solid wastes. Solid wastes which are not
disposed properly will cause water and air pollution. The solid waste is also the one issue
which causes global warming. Greenhouse gases (GHG) which are contributed by the
waste combustion become the one major cause of global warming. Thus, the solid waste
must be managed and disposed correctly to protect the environment and human life.
The plastic is the one material which is much used as products in many applications such
as packaging, construction, electronic and electrical appliances, housewares, automobile,
etc. The plastic packages are produced and consumed more because their products are
flexible and lighter than glass and metal products. Thai people used 975 million
bottles/year of PET bottle and 2,880 million bottles/year of PE bottle in 2007 (TIPMSE,
2013). In 2008, they consumed 70 kg/capita/year or around 4.44 million tonnes/year
(PTIT, 2008). Moreover, they also used 2.18 million tonnes/year of plastic bag (carrier
bag) or around 5,000 million bags/year in 2011 (FPRI, 2011). After consumption, these
plastics become wastes which must be properly managed.
In Thailand, 15.98 million tonnes of municipal solid waste (MSW) was generated in 2011
or around 43,799 tonnes/day. The amount of plastic waste generation was 1.84 million
tonnes/year (12%) out of which plastic recycling was 29% in 2011 (PCD, 2011). Bangkok
generated 9,237 tonnes/day out of which the plastic waste generation was 2,300 tonnes/day
(25%) (GWF, 2013). Plastic wastes become one of the major problems of solid waste
management in Thailand. Most of plastic wastes are disposed at landfill sites, and plastic
wastes require 3 times of areas in landfills as compared with food wastes because they are
durable and resist to compaction. The plastic lifespan is more than 100 years, so the
government must prepare the free space at landfill sites for plastic waste disposal.
Waste reduction, reuse, and recycling are methods to solve environmental impacts and
MSW management problems. 3R policy is the one method to solve plastic waste problems.
There were many projects related to 3R policy in Bangkok that are done by producers,
consumers, central government, and local governments, but these projects are not
sustainable because people do not practice and continue projects without rewards or
scheme promotions.
According to the environmental management plan in 2012-2016, the waste management
target is that the percentage of waste recycling will increase 30% within 2016. The 3R
policy is promoted to reduce the amount of waste generation and improve much the
material recycling, composting, and waste to energy. The Plastic Institute of Thailand
stated that the biodegradable plastic will be produced as the “Green Product” within 2015
followed by the environmental management plan in 2012-2016. The biodegradable plastic
can be degraded easier than normal products, but it will be the one factor which increases
the plastic consumption and plastic wastes. Nevertheless, this product is not economical for
buyers because the cost is higher than conventional plastics.
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