The current status and future outlook for waste management in Thailand
Somtip Danteravanich, F. of Environmental Management, PSU.
Corresponding e-mail : dsomtip@ratree.psu.ac.th
Presented : The Workshop on "Towards Better Management of Wastes and Contaminated
Sites in the Australasia-Pacific Region", Adeloide, South Australia, 3-5 May 2000
Key words : solid waste, waste management
Over recent years, Thailand has suffered from the depletion of natural resources and deterioration of environmental quality as the result of ever increasing demands from humans. It is certain that as socioeconomic development, urbanization and industrialization continue, greater quantities of
waste will inevitably be produced. However, Thailand already faces considerable waste management problems. These problems can be thought of as local and regional environmental problems or as transitional phenomena resulting from specific development activities.
Today waste management is a matter of great concern and is a core area of environmental
policy in Thailand. In additional to legal, administrative and organizational instruments, effective waste management requires specialist knowledge in science, technology and the social sciences. The following detail describes the general situation and objectives of waste management in Thailand,
with details of waste volumes, waste characteristics, sources of waste, waste problems and trends,
and a brief summary of relevant policy and legal provisions. Finally, alternatives for appropriate
waste management in the future are discussed and recommendations are made for future research
and training.
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