A Gap Analysis in Selected Asian Countries, 3R Knowledge Hub ...

BACKGROUND
Thailand is one of the newly industrialized
countries of Southeast Asia located centrally in
the Indo-China Peninsula with a total area of
514,000 km 2 . Of the 64 million population 22%
live in urban areas. The country’s economic
growth rate was at 8.2% during 1981-91, which
decreased to about 4.6% in 2000 due to the
Southeast Asian economic crisis in 1997. The
urban dwellers are concentrated in the
Bangkok metropolis with a population of
about 10 million. Solid waste generation has
witnessed a rapid upwards trend parallel to its
economic growth and industrialization.
The country’s strategic location in Southeast
Asia attracts industrial investments due to
conducive policies and fiscal rebates. Of late,
the country is known as the “Detroit of Asia”
and “Kitchen of the World”. Not to mention
the side effects of industrial development;
resource depletion and waste disposal
concerns. Though the country does not face
any serious resource threats, the Government
has been proactively tackling environmental
issues.
PRIORITY AREAS
Thailand has traditionally been an agrarian
country with vast land areas devoted for
cultivation. Industrialization and
modernization have been happening only in
recent decades. Agriculture is still practiced in
various parts of the country. Agricultural
waste represents a major fraction in the rural
areas. Primarily, there are ten kinds of
agricultural waste that have the potential to be
reused-residues from rice, cane, corn, coconut,
palm, cassava, peanut, cotton, soybean and
sorghum. Roughly 22 % or 18 million tons of
the total agricultural waste out of 82 million
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Thailand
tons has the potential to be reused for various
purposes. The majority of agricultural waste is
utilized for renewable energy generation.
Around 64 million tons or 75 % of the total
agricultural waste is either un-utilized or under
utilized. Considering the availability and
potentials of the agricultural wastes in the
country, it is essential that they be considered
with top priority to make the best possible use.
URBAN MUNICIPAL WASTE
Thailand produces around 46,000 tons of nonhazardous
solid household waste per day. The
Pollution Control Department (PCD) of the
Ministry of Science, Technology and
Environment, estimates municipal solid waste
generation is growing about 4% per year.
Municipal solid waste in Thailand is from three
regions: the Bangkok metropolitan generating
aout 25% of the total waste; urban centers in the
provinces about 35%, and rural provincial
areas, which produce the remaining 40%.
Chapter 3: Country Analysis
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