Phuket Town Mayor Suppachoke Laongphet announced the stricter enforcement during an inspection of landfill sites 4 and 5 at the Phuket Provincial Integrated Waste Disposal Center yesterday (Mar 24).
The visit was aimed at assessing the centre’s capacity to handle excess waste that cannot be processed by its incinerator. Officials confirmed that Phuket is currently generating about 1,300 tonnes of waste per day, while the incinerator can handle only 500 tonnes daily, leaving around 800 tonnes to be diverted to landfill sites.
The situation is compounded by an already significant backlog, with more than 1.2 million tonnes of accumulated waste at the facility.
During the inspection, municipal officials raised concerns over widespread non-compliance by garbage truck operators from various local administrative organisations. Trucks have been dumping waste outside designated zones, leaving rubbish scattered across access roads and operational areas, disrupting landfill management and levelling work.
Mr Suppachoke criticised the behaviour as “irresponsible”, noting that it has directly increased operational inefficiencies.
“Dumping waste outside designated areas forces us to deploy more heavy machinery to correct the problem, which increases both time and fuel costs,” he said.
He added that the issue is particularly concerning at a time when authorities are urging all sectors to conserve energy, especially fuel, amid ongoing international tensions affecting energy supplies.
Despite previous requests for cooperation, officials reported little improvement in compliance.
In response, the municipality will begin strict enforcement measures from next Wednesday (Apr 1). Officials will record licence plates and identify the local administrative organisations responsible for trucks that violate disposal rules, including those dumping outside designated zones or bringing leachate into the landfill.
Non-compliant vehicles will be denied access to the landfill and required to return waste to their respective jurisdictions for proper disposal.
The municipality is also continuing to expand landfill capacity to accommodate excess waste, while reiterating calls for all sectors to reduce waste generation as part of long-term mitigation efforts.