General Prawit Wongsuwan, Deputy Prime Minister, as the chairman of the National Environment Board has assigned Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (MNRE) to propose the 2nd National Action Plan on Waste Management B.E. 2565-2570 (2022-2027) to the Cabinet.
Mr. Athapol Charoenshunsa, Director General of Pollution Control Department (PCD) revealed that waste management is still the problem issue that government has focused on solving continuously. Since the 1st National Solid Waste Management Master Plan B.E. 2559-2564 (2016-2021) had ended, MNRE by PCD has prepared the 2nd National Action Plan on Waste Management (B.E. 2565-2570) (2022-2026) as an integrated master plan to mobilized waste management activities continuously by using brainstorming technique with all relevant sectors. In addition, at the Meeting of the National Environment Board No. 3/2022 on 3rd August 2022, the Board approved the Plan and assigned relevant organizations to implement activities under the Plan.
Mr. Athapol said that the 2nd National Action Plan aims to upgrade waste management covering plastic waste, packaging waste, food waste, solid waste, hazardous waste, electronic waste and electronic equipment, infectious waste and hazardous industrial waste. The management is focused on waste solution at source according to product life cycle to prevent waste occurring, include life cycle eco design, for eco friendly products promoting sustainable consumption by selecting environmental friendly products, which can be reused and recycle, as well as separating system at the source to maximize the recovery of resources from waste, both in form of material recovery and energy recovery, in order to minimize final disposal.
The 2nd National Action Plan on Waste Management B.E. 2565-2570 (2022 – 2027) has 5 important targets; (1) 80% of municipal solid waste will be properly managed by increasing 36% of separating of household waste and recycling. The disposal will focus on incineration for energy recovery in order to reduce improper open dumping and open burning as well as landfill. (2) 74-100% of waste will be recycled into recycled materials including plastic waste, paper, glass, aluminum packaging waste. (3) 28% of food waste will be decreased in order to reduce bad smell from solid waste and greenhouse gas (4) At least 50% of household hazardous waste will be properly managed and (5) 100% of infectious waste and hazardous industrial waste must be properly managed too. We are committed to make waste as a renewable resources and waste disposal must not impact on people and environment. The vision of this evidence is “New normal waste management for clean environment and step forwards to sustainable economic and society development”, Mr. Athapol said.
