Lessons learned from sustainable municipal solid waste management from Krabi Municipality : from power plants to reducing waste at the source

Abstract

Although Krabi Municipality has succeeded in managing waste by incinerating to produce energy until there is no residual waste, if the government does not prioritize waste reduction measures at the source and related laws do not support the implementation, waste management at the destination will not be sustainable and may lead to a crisis. This article presents the situation of waste problems in Krabi Province and the efforts of Krabi Municipality in solving the problem of community waste under the participation of the government sector, private sector and the public, which will be useful for learning lessons for waste management of other local administrative organizations in the future. Krabi Municipality is greatly pressured by the limitations of the only community waste landfill that must accommodate all waste in the province. Therefore, the intensity of waste management has been raised, leading to the construction and management of a community waste disposal plant with a capacity of not less than 100 tons per day, which is environmentally friendly and improves the quality of life of local people. Therefore, what local administrative organizations and related agencies should learn from Krabi Municipality is that solving the waste problem should focus on reducing, separating and increasing the utilization of waste at the source, not just focusing on building incinerators, which is a solution at the destination. Solving the waste problem successfully in     a tangible way requires legislation along with raising awareness and strictly enforcing the law, especially in communities and the private sector, both producers and distributors, who create waste. Promote the public sector to participate in solving the waste problem from the beginning, middle and end. Support the implementation of recommendations into actual practice jointly between the government sector, private sector and civil society. Finally,          the issuance of various laws should have a preparation period, as well as budget preparation    to support the adaptation of all sectors in the area.