Figures released by the Phuket Provincial Local Administration Office showed municipal waste volumes fell from 36,745.78 tonnes in March to 33,298.03 tonnes in April, a decrease of 3,447.75 tonnes, or 9.38%.
Patong Municipality remained the island’s largest waste producer, generating 5,199.96 tonnes during the month, followed by Phuket City Municipality with 4,566.19 tonnes and Ratsada Municipality with 2,681.25 tonnes.
Patong Mayor Lalita Maneesri said the reduction was mainly due to improved waste-management and source-separation efforts, but acknowledged that lower tourist numbers during the transition into the low season had also contributed.
“Mostly it is from management and administration measures, and also because tourist numbers have decreased as Phuket moves into the low season,” she said.
Figures released this month by the Phuket Provincial Tourism and Sports Office showed Phuket welcomed 4,901,975 visitors during the first four months of 2026, down 2.08% year-on-year from 5,006,108 visitors recorded during the same period last year.
“Yes, that also played a part,” Mayor Lalita said when asked whether the tourism slowdown had contributed to the lower waste volumes, adding that the conflict in the Middle East had also affected tourism sentiment in some markets.
Despite the drop, Patong still produces the highest waste volume among Phuket municipalities.
Mayor Lalita said Patong Municipality was continuing campaigns to reduce waste at the source in cooperation with residents, businesses and local communities.
The municipality has also introduced separate collection systems for organic waste, including dedicated garbage trucks for organic waste collection.
“We are carrying out proactive campaigns with local residents and all business operators in Patong on reducing waste at the source,” she said.
Mayor Lalita added that Patong already converts some organic waste into fertiliser for local residents, and is now preparing to expand the programme through the purchase of an organic waste processing machine.
“The procurement proposal has already been approved by the municipal council,” she said, “with the machine expected to arrive within the next two to three months.”
“The municipality also plans to encourage large hotels and businesses to install their own organic waste processing systems by offering reductions in waste collection fees,” she added.
Since the start of fiscal year 2026, Phuket’s waste disposal centre has processed 252,551 tonnes of municipal waste, averaging 1,191 tonnes per day.
Of the total, 57% was disposed of through incineration and 43% through landfill burial, according to the report.