Plastic bottles and empty beer cans roll on the sea floor in the waters around Phuket, while more garbage piles up on the island itself.
In one corner of the island, trucks and tractors move piles of trash around a huge landfill, the final destination for much of the more than 1,000 tonnes of waste collected on Phuket every day.
The number is up from 742 tonnes in 2022 and 961 tonnes in 2023, according to figures from the provincial statistics office and the Pollution Control Department.
In a matter of months, the landfill has grown so large it has blocked the mountain view from Vassana Toyou’s home.
“There is no life outside the house, (we) just stay at home,” she said. “The smell is very strong, you have to wear a mask.”
To cope with the stench, Vassana said she keeps her air conditioner and air purifiers switched on all the time, doubling her electricity bill.
Phuket has undergone rapid development due to its tourism sector, a major driver of the Thai economy as a whole.
By the end of this year, the island could be producing up to 1,400 tonnes of trash a day, overwhelming its only landfill at Saphan Hin, the deputy mayor said.
Authorities are pushing ahead with plans to cut waste generation by 15% in six months, expand the landfill and build a new incinerator, he said.
The province has only one incinerator which can handle only about 900 tonnes of garbage daily. The rest is sent to dump sites. Only 10% of the trash in Phuket is recycled and 60% is organic waste, the Pollution Control Department says.
The municipality began a trial of a “garbage bank” in the Samakkee Samkong community last year to recycle waste and trash. If successful, it will be rolled out to other locations.
