Preliminary Study on Municipal Solid Waste Management for Community Electricity Generation: A Case Study of Bangkhuntien District Bangkok

Abstract

The objectives of this paper are to study the public participation in municipal solid waste management (MSWM) for electricity generation and to study the electricity generation technology suitable for Bangkhuntien municipal solid waste. The research methodology was based on a documentary study, observation, focus group, survey using questionnaire with reliability score at .95. The results of study reveal that most waste collection and transportation in this area have conducted by Bangkhuntien District Office. Meanwhile, 33 percent of people have collected, segregated and sold to recycle shops. The level of participation in implementing MSWM was at higher level (mean 3.44, S.D. 0.93) and in encouraging family member segregate wastes before littering was in the first rank (mean 3.65, S.D. 1.07) and in providing garbage truck to deliver municipal solid wastes to the waste treatment plant was in final rank (mean 3.10, S.D. 1.22). In addition, 50 percent of people never know that MSW can be used to generate electricity.

The results based on experts interviewed demonstrate that approximately, 81% of experts preferred using anaerobic digester technology appropriately to municipal solid waste which was high organic content. In 2007, 155 tons per day of the municipal solid wastes were able to generate biogas 15,500-31,000 cubic meter a day which were able to generate electricity approximately 11,625-23,250 kWh.