Phuket Governor Narong revealed on Monday that Phuket is taking steps to address a massive local landfill site. Due to ongoing dumping, this 'garbage mountain' has begun to threaten both the environment and the tourism industry. He stated that Phuket's goal is not to slowly sort and process the waste, but to completely resolve this heavy burden within two years.
For more than twenty years, garbage from all over Phuket has been sent to the Phuket Provincial Administration Organization for processing, but the incinerator in Phuket can only handle around 700 tons per day, which falls far short of the actual amount generated. At present, the landfill has accumulated around 1.2 to 1.4 million tons of waste, and if the buried portion is included, the total amount is likely over 2 million tons.
This landfill was originally a mangrove area formed by land reclamation, and it now faces risks of wastewater leakage, as well as the pressure of waste exerted on the landfill and the sea separation barrier. If nothing is done, garbage will continue to increase by 200,000 to 300,000 tons per year. Therefore, Phuket hopes to completely clear the landfill within one to two years and redevelop the entire area into a large public park—one of the most beautiful public parks in Thailand.