RFID know-how mulled for industry waste

The Department of Industrial Works (DIW) is considering the use of wireless radio-frequency identification (RFID) technology to help deter, and curb illegal disposal of toxic, hazardous industrial wastes in unauthorised locations nationwide in the next three months, according to the secretary-general of Department of Industrial Works (DIW), Nattapon Nattasomboon. 

Last week, Nattapon and Dol Hetrakul, adviser to the industry minister, had the opportunity to observe RFID technology at Hong Kong’s R&D Centre for Logistics & Supply Chain Management Technologies (LSCM R&D Centre). RFID technology should be suitable in helping the DIW enforce proper discarding of toxic, hazardous industrial wastes. 

Currently, there are about 2.75 million tonnes of industrial wastes, which must be discarded properly. However, many industrial plants are illegally dumping their industrial waste materials in unauthorised locations nationwide to reduce their waste management costs. Such illegal industrial waste-disposal practice is harmful to residents of nearby communities and the environment, Nattapon said. 

Various industrial plants producing 20 types of industrial wastes will be categorised under and regulated by the RFID technology. Each industrial plant will have to bear the minimal cost in installing the RFID equipment. The new regulations to be announced will apply to industrial wastes disposal contractors and over 400 industrial wastes recycling plants nationwide. This extensive upstream-to-downstream tracking of industrial waste disposal should be more effective than the loosely enforced documents-based system of the past, Nattapon added. 

The DIW will set up an operations centre to monitor and regulate the entire process of industrial wastes disposal, as to the type and volume of industrial wastes, the loading/unloading locations nationwide. 

RFID technology involves wireless non-contact use of radio-frequency electro-magnetic fields to transfer data to automatically identify and track RFID-tags attached to the various objects chosen to be monitored. The tags contain electronically stored data, such as type of goods materials, quantity/volume, produced by who/where, current location of the goods/materials. In Thailand, RFID technology are currently used in expressway tags, containers shipments and monitoring of animals’ growth, Nattapon said. 

The Hong Kong centre confirmed that the DIW can adopt RFID technology to effectively track disposal of industrial wastes and is ready to provide advisory assistance to DIW if necessary, Nattapon said.

Industrial plants that produced industrial wastes are legally liable to bear the cost of installing the RFID equipment as required by law of face penalty which will vary according to the extent of such violation, Nattapon said.