The Important Conditions for Co-Management of Waste: A Case Study of the Waste-to-Energy Plant of Phuket City Municipality in Phuket

Abstract

This paper investigates important conditions for co-management of waste by using the waste-to-energy plant of Phuket City Municipality in Phuket as a case study, which studies agreements on the resource andenvironmental co-management based on eight design principles of Elinor Ostrom (1990): 1) clearly defined boundaries of community rights; 2) congruence with community agreements; 3) participation in collective-choicearrangements; 4) effective monitoring; 5) gradual sanctions; 6) conflictresolution mechanisms; 7) a government’s recognition of community rights; and 8) resource management under community law. This research draws on in-depth interviews with the government, private and public sectors that are involved with waste management in the Phuket City Municipality. In other words, the government sector implements a waste disposal andenvironmental policy. The private sector incinerates waste and generates electricity based on a concession agreement. The public sector expresses opinions, offers suggestions, and lodges complaints about effects on
people’s lives.It found that with regards to the co - management of waste in the waste - to - energy plant of the Phuket City Municipality, these three sectors worked together, subject to four conditions that included the clearly
defined boundaries of community rights, the effective monitoring, therecognition of community rights and the resource management undercommunity law or a bigger system, of which priority was given on thecomplaints about obnoxious odours. The other conditions wereconsequently neglected. Therefore, an opportunity should be given to all sectors, especially the public sector, to express opinions on the location of the waste-to-energy plant, waste management, complaints and solutions to the problems from the operation of the plant which had effects oncommunities, benefits, and hygiene and safety measures.