Governor Nirat Pongsitthaworn said the province has launched an urgent effort to remove what he described as a "mountain of waste", adding that decades of disposal practices have created a serious burden, reports the Bangkok Post.
For more than two decades, waste from municipalities, tambon administrative organisations and other agencies across Phuket has been sent to Phuket City Municipality for treatment, he said.
However, the island’s waste incinerator can process only about 700 tonnes per day -- far below the volume generated.
Mr Nirat said this has resulted in an estimated 1.2-1.4 million tonnes of waste piling up at the landfill, with the total likely exceeding two million tonnes when buried waste is included.
He said the site ‒ originally reclaimed mangrove land ‒ raises concerns about wastewater leakage and pressure on the embankments separating the landfill from the sea.
"If we do nothing, the waste will continue to grow by 200,000 to 300,000 tonnes each year," he said.
He said the province’s goal is not merely to sort waste gradually, but to eliminate the landfill entirely within one to two years and redevelop the area into a major public park.
"I want it to become the most beautiful public park in Thailand," he said.