PHUKET: Putting a gps in every one of Phuket's garbage trucks was suggested today as the best way to reduce the amount of trash dumped at roadsides all over Phuket.
The suggestion came at a meeting at the Phuket City incinerators where most of Phuket's rubbish is reduced to ashes.
Environmental specialist Nattakit Ponpech came up with the idea of adding a gps to each truck.
Local authorities were discussing ways of reducing the amount of trash created on Phuket.
''With a gps we would know where the trucks were going and be able to work out which truck was dumping stuff where,'' he said.
All of Phuket's waste is disposed of at the Saphan Hin centre in Phuket City. But Phuket residents report more trash being dumped these days at roadsides.
The high cost of trashing the garbage - 520 baht per tonne - is one reason why so much of it doesn't make the official dump.
Another reason is that there are probably days when drivers simply cannot be bothered, the meeting heard.
In both instances, the gps would help to catch the culprits.
Latest figures for 2012 show that the daily dump of rubbish on Phuket has grown 9.61 percent from last year to average 601 tonnes.
In a century when reduce, reuse recycle has become an international catchphrase, Phuket appears to be struggling to heed the message.
Patong delivers 103.33 tonnes of garbage on average, an increase of 9.70 over last year.
Phuket City is the biggest trash producer, with a figure of 114.93 tonnes a day, up 4.87 percent.
Figures for other parts of Phuket (with increase percentages in brackets) are as follows:
Rassada 51.87 tonnes (up 6.55 percent); Vichit 49.86 tonnes (up 4 percent); Karon 38.78 tonnes (up 5.62 percent); Kathu 32.85 tonnes (up 6.71 percent); Chalong 29.01 tonnes (up 8.93 percent); Rawai 26.36 tonnes (up 13.31 percent); Srisoonthorn 18.62 tonnes (up 10.06 percent); Cherng Talay 12.47 toinnes (up 8.30 percent); Korkaew 10.44 tonnes (up 6.76 percent); Thepkasattri 9.86 tonnes (up 29.20 percent); Kamala 8.20 tonnes (up 16.08 percent); Mai Khao 7 tonnes (up 0.89 percent).
Private waste has been reduced by 37.33 percent to 13.71 tonnes per day. But if private waste can be reduced by one third, why can't the council trash collectors achieve the same gains?
The suggestion came at a meeting at the Phuket City incinerators where most of Phuket's rubbish is reduced to ashes.
Environmental specialist Nattakit Ponpech came up with the idea of adding a gps to each truck.
Local authorities were discussing ways of reducing the amount of trash created on Phuket.
''With a gps we would know where the trucks were going and be able to work out which truck was dumping stuff where,'' he said.
All of Phuket's waste is disposed of at the Saphan Hin centre in Phuket City. But Phuket residents report more trash being dumped these days at roadsides.
The high cost of trashing the garbage - 520 baht per tonne - is one reason why so much of it doesn't make the official dump.
Another reason is that there are probably days when drivers simply cannot be bothered, the meeting heard.
In both instances, the gps would help to catch the culprits.
Latest figures for 2012 show that the daily dump of rubbish on Phuket has grown 9.61 percent from last year to average 601 tonnes.
In a century when reduce, reuse recycle has become an international catchphrase, Phuket appears to be struggling to heed the message.
Patong delivers 103.33 tonnes of garbage on average, an increase of 9.70 over last year.
Phuket City is the biggest trash producer, with a figure of 114.93 tonnes a day, up 4.87 percent.
Figures for other parts of Phuket (with increase percentages in brackets) are as follows:
Rassada 51.87 tonnes (up 6.55 percent); Vichit 49.86 tonnes (up 4 percent); Karon 38.78 tonnes (up 5.62 percent); Kathu 32.85 tonnes (up 6.71 percent); Chalong 29.01 tonnes (up 8.93 percent); Rawai 26.36 tonnes (up 13.31 percent); Srisoonthorn 18.62 tonnes (up 10.06 percent); Cherng Talay 12.47 toinnes (up 8.30 percent); Korkaew 10.44 tonnes (up 6.76 percent); Thepkasattri 9.86 tonnes (up 29.20 percent); Kamala 8.20 tonnes (up 16.08 percent); Mai Khao 7 tonnes (up 0.89 percent).
Private waste has been reduced by 37.33 percent to 13.71 tonnes per day. But if private waste can be reduced by one third, why can't the council trash collectors achieve the same gains?
Did they eventually manage to get the new incinerator online ?
I drove through Saphan Hin a few days ago and both of them appeared to be dormant.
Posted by soupdragon on July 11, 2012 07:31