The reopening, on Saturday (Apr 18), came after inspections confirmed a sustained reduction in hotspots and smoke at the site, which had been closed to incoming waste during firefighting operations.
Phuket City Municipality said it had prepared the landfill to resume operations by organising transport routes and installing clearly marked disposal points using red flags.
All garbage trucks were instructed to dispose of waste only at designated locations to maintain order and reduce congestion.
The site now receives deliveries of waste from local administrative organisations and other agencies daily, from 6am to 6pm.
Mayor Suppachoke Laongphet inspected the landfill last Friday (Apr 17) to assess readiness ahead of the reopening. He was joined by municipal officials, including the mayor’s secretary Niti Petchpradabsakul, Engineering Department Director Yutthana Kanjanapak, council members and other relevant officers.
The inspection took place at landfill sites 4 and 5, which were most affected by the fire.
Earlier that morning, at 8:30am, the mayor had also observed ongoing monitoring operations, including drone surveys conducted by officers from the Royal Thai Navy Region 3 to detect remaining hotspots beneath the surface.
Phuket City Municipality reported that the number of hotspots had continued to decrease, while visible smoke had reduced significantly. However, officials had maintained 24-hour monitoring due to persistent heat and dry weather conditions.
Crews had continued pumping water from a wastewater treatment pond located about three kilometres away into the landfill area to increase moisture and reduce heat buildup deep within the waste.
Following the improved conditions, the municipality had indicated that if no additional smoke was detected within 24 hours, firefighting personnel would be withdrawn and the site reopened.
By Saturday, with no significant smoke reported, disaster prevention and mitigation officers were expected to stand down from the site. Monitoring responsibilities were to be taken over by private contractor PJT Technology Co Ltd., which would provide personnel and water trucks to continue overseeing the area.
Phuket City Municipality confirmed it remained on standby to respond to any further developments.
The reopening marked a key step in restoring normal waste management operations after the fire, which broke out on Apr 11 and burned for more than 34 hours before being brought under control in the early hours of Apr 13.
Authorities had since warned that landfill fires can smoulder beneath the surface for extended periods, requiring sustained cooling and close monitoring to prevent flare-ups.
Municipal officials reiterated that strict compliance with disposal procedures at the reopened site was essential to ensure safety and prevent disruption as recovery efforts continued.