1% less solid waste in Thailand, but hazardous, infectious trash surges
Thailand created 1 per cent less solid trash last year compared to 2020, while 87 per cent of its infectious waste was related to Covid-19.
Atthaphon Charoenchansa, director-general of the Pollution Control Department (PCD), said Thailand created 24.98 million tonnes of waste in 2021, which is 1 per cent lower than the waste created in 2021. Of the total waste, 8.61 million tonnes were recycled, marking an increase of 3 per cent from the previous year.
Atthaphon put the 1 per cent drop in solid waste down to Covid-19 lockdowns and lack of tourists. However, he said, work-from-home measures have resulted in a surge in single-use plastics such as polystyrene food boxes, plastic boxes, plastic bags, etc.
Infectious waste, meanwhile, stood at slightly more than 90,000 tonnes, marking an 87 per cent increase from 2020. This was mainly waste collected from hospitals, clinics, field hospitals, clinics and government quarantine facilities. Some 90.85 per cent or 81,774.67 tonnes was infectious waste and was reportedly properly managed.
Meanwhile, hazardous waste in 2021 stood at 669,518 tonnes, marking an increase of 1.6 per cent from 2020. Of the hazardous waste collected last year, 435,187 tonnes or 65 per cent were electrical and electronic products, and the remainder comprised batteries, chemical containers, aerosol cans, etc.
The surge in hazardous waste has been put down to increased consumption of electrical appliances and devices.