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

50% of agricultural products was converted to wastes in 2010. Figure D-1 in Appendix D
presents the sub-process of the plastic consumption process. Table D-1 in Appendix D
shows amounts of plastic waste generation from each kind of plastic product of the plastic
consumption process. Most thermosetting products are the long-lived products, so the
assumption is only 1% of thermosetting waste generation from the plastic consumption.
Figure 4.23 shows the plastic consumption process in the plastic material flow in Thailand
in 2010.
Figure 4.23 Plastic consumption process of plastic material flow in Thailand, 2010
The negative stock of this process means that the amount of waste generation (reported by
PCD in 2010) is more than the amount of product input. The assumption of plastic
consumption of each activity was set, and the assumed stock from that assumption was
equal to 1.53 million tonnes. The amount of actual product stocked in this process was
present by OIE, and that amount was 24,981 tonnes in 2010. Thus, the total stock in the
consumption process was 1.55 million tonnes which was show at the upper line of stock
box in Figure 4.23.
The short-lived plastic wastes generated daily were collected and transported to waste
treatment and disposal facilities. According to PCD (2010), the amount of MSW
generation was 15.16 million tonnes in 2010 out of which 2.58 million tonnes (17%) was
municipal plastic wastes (MPW). The percentage of waste collection in Thailand was 80%
of total waste generation, and 20% of waste generation was not collected from
municipalities (PCD, 2012). Collected plastic wastes were managed by the different
options such as incineration, recycling and landfilling. Some collected plastic wastes were
not disposed properly, and then they expanded to the environment.
4.2.1.3 Collection, transportation and disposal
Plastic wastes contain high calorific value (37 MJ/kg), so they can be used as RDF to
generate electricity or heat energy at power plants and manufactures. RDF was produced
from landfilled plastic wastes or residue wastes of waste sorting unit. The material
recycling was done in recycling factories by using sorted plastic wastes to produce
recycled pellets. These recycled products are used again in the plastic manufacturing, while
the generated residue wastes from recycling factories are disposed at landfills.
Finally, the feedstock recycling from plastic wastes was operated at seven municipalities
and three private companies in 2010. Landfilled plastic wastes are converted to crude oil at
municipal oil recovery plants, as plastic wastes in collected MSW were fed into pyrolysis
reactors at private oil recovery plants. Figure 4.24 shows the waste collection and
transportation process of the plastic material flow in Thailand in 2010.
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