In a day 10,000 tons of waste is being generated in Bangkok

The existence of waste is absurd. Each day 10,000 tons of waste is being generated in Bangkok. The cost of waste disposal the government has to pay is around 30 USD per tonnage, which means 300,000 USD per day is spent on just getting rid of waste, let alone the value of waste being wasted. The statistics showed that in the year 2016 only 35% of waste generated is properly treated, leading to frequent fire incidents. Moreover, the land used to dump waste could have fed over 500 people each year. Not accounting over 15 million of lives that would be affected living around the dumpsite around the world.

Developing countries like Thailand, more than half of the waste is organic. Organic waste if properly segregated and handled can be turned into a source for good soil and renewable energy. At least half of the waste should not be wasted at all.

Majority of waste generated in Thailand is fated to landfill and some to incineration. Landfills and incinerators lower the quality of the livelihood of the people living nearby, contaminate the environment, the land, the soil, the water and the air. Resources that could have fed thousands of lives are used to place and locate waste out of sight and out of people’s mind.

The amount of waste generated is growing each year. In Thailand, 27.06 million tons of waste has been generated in 2016. This amount is on a rising trend: 13% increase from the year 2008 (Municipal Waste situation in Thailand 2016, 2016).The complexity and toxicity of waste too increase. It is only the matter of time before waste becomes more than just an issue in the news or the issue of other people. It will directly impact us if we do not start acting now.