Phuket City initiates public consultation for new waste incinerator

Phuket City Municipality, in its quest to deal with the growing issue of solid waste, has initiated the first public consultation on its plan to build a brand new incinerator at the Saphan Hin waste disposal site. The meeting was led by Deputy Mayor Orapailin Trakulpriphon and took place at the meeting room of the Phuket Provincial Waste Disposal Center at Saphan Hin yesterday, March 27.

The proposal at hand involves EA Waste Management Phuket Co Ltd, a private firm, to construct and manage the new facility. The company’s Business Development Manager, Pantip Chatrangsan, was present to elaborate on their proposed role.

According to Pantip, the proposed facility, which will spread across approximately 14 rai, is intended to have the capacity to dispose of at least 500 tons of solid waste per day. Additionally, it is expected to generate 9.9 megawatts of electrical power.

An initial Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) has been conducted, but a comprehensive EIA will be prepared and presented to the Office of Natural Resources and Environmental Policy and Planning (ONEP), Deputy Mayor Orapailin explained.

“The city’s overflowing garbage issue is a significant problem that necessitates multi-sector participation in management.

“This stage is to listen to opinions from the public, who are considered to be a driving force to develop efficient solid waste management in Phuket Province.”

Orapailin highlighted that the event is aimed at fostering knowledge and understanding of development in accordance with environmental measures. She stressed that Phuket City Municipality prioritises reducing the impact of such projects on people and the environment in a sustainable manner.

Despite the dissemination of several reports of the meeting through government news channels, including the national state news agency NNT, none of the official reports mentioned the cost of the proposed new incinerator or the feasibility studies conducted so far, reported Phuket News.