The signing today at Provincial Hall was the start of a public information campaign to raise awareness of trash control through schools, communities and other public organisations, and to help people set up systems and groups to organise recycling and re-use of garbage.
The Phuket Pollution Control Officer, Surachai Koontong, has set up 39 shops around the island to accept trash and sort it. The aim of these is, through recycling, to decrease the amount of garbage that has to be handled by Phuket’s incinerator by 30 per cent by 2016.
Currently 700 tonnes of garbage a day is incinerated.
Wichien Jungrungruang, Bangkok-based Director of Pollution Control Department, Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment told The Phuket News, “I believe pollution in Phuket is not difficult to solve because Phuket is already a well organised place.
“Trash is the first priority because Phuket is a popular tourism place, and increasing numbers of tourists will mean increasing amounts of garbage.
“At the moment, all of this is going to the incinerator. I fully support Phuket’s efforts to re-use and recycle.
“Water pollution will become another problem for Phuket if not solved, and if the beaches are not clear and clean. Our next priority is to check sources of water pollution.”