The measures were presented at the first 2026 meeting of the Phuket Provincial Waste and Refuse Management Committee, chaired by Deputy Governor Suwit Phansengiam at 1:30pm on Wednesday (Apr 22) at Phuket City Municipality Office.
Officials were told that waste volumes in Phuket have now exceeded 1,000 tonnes per day, driven by continued urban expansion and tourism, underscoring the urgency of upgrading disposal systems and landfill infrastructure to meet environmental standards and limit public health impacts.
The meeting reviewed progress on the rehabilitation of the landfill at the Phuket Provincial Waste Disposal Center, along with updates on a waste-to-energy project being implemented by local administrative organisations, which has already received approval from the Ministry of Interior.
Committee members also acknowledged progress in drafting the Phuket Provincial Waste Management Plan and approved the appointment of a working group to strengthen waste management at the source.
Central to the strategy is the 2026 ‘Clean Province’ Community Solid Waste Management Action Plan, aligned with Interior Ministry policy. The plan emphasises the ‘3Rs’ principle ‒ reduce, reuse and recycle ‒ aimed at cutting waste volumes at source while enhancing performance evaluation across local agencies.
In a related matter, the committee considered a request from Wichit Municipality seeking an exemption from waste disposal fees for up to 15 tonnes per day. The proposal, intended to support healthcare for residents affected by operations at the disposal centre, will be submitted through the appropriate channels for consideration.
Officials said the meeting reflected integrated cooperation across agencies to improve efficiency and environmental sustainability in Phuket’s waste management system, with the ultimate goal of enhancing quality of life for residents.
The push to invoke RDF measures follow a verification report under Thailand’s Voluntary Emission Reduction Program (T-VER), which highlighted the potential environmental benefits of RDF production from municipal waste.
The report, prepared by the Management System Certification Institute (Thailand) Foundation (MASCI) as an independent validation and verification body, confirmed that a project developed by TPI Polene Power Public Company Limited in Saraburi achieved verified greenhouse gas emission reductions of 463,356 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent over a 12-month period from June 1, 2023, to May 31, 2024.
The verification team, led by Phoomet Rakpan, confirmed that the project’s operations and monitoring complied with T-VER standards, noting that RDF production reduces emissions by diverting waste from landfill, where it would otherwise generate methane.
Phuket officials indicated that similar RDF approaches could support the province’s long-term strategy to manage rising waste volumes more sustainably.