Bangkok’s monthly garbage collection fee triples to 60 baht

Bangkokians will soon need to shell out 60 baht per month for garbage collection instead of 20 baht now that the Bangkok Metropolitan Council (BMC) has approved a long overdue hike.

The 20-baht per month rate has been in effect since 2003, but is no longer suitable for the current economic situation, deputy governor Chakkapan Phewngam said on Wednesday.

However, he said, people who join the city’s waste-separation programme can continue paying the old rate.

He explained that the current 20 baht per month fee applies to households that produce no more than 20 litres of garbage daily, adding that most households, or about 2 million, fall under this category.

Meanwhile, he said, fees for those producing between 20 and 1,000 litres of garbage per day will also go up from 40 baht to 120 baht for every 20 litres. This usually applies to restaurants and small shops, he added.

As for establishments that produce more than 1,000 litres of garbage daily, such as shopping malls, markets, offices and hotels, the fee will rise from 2,000 baht to 8,000 baht per 1,000 litres.

The new rate will go into effect 180 days after it is published in the Royal Gazette.

However, he said, households that have joined and are complying with the city’s waste-separation programme will continue paying 20 baht a month.

Though the other two groups are not eligible for the waste separation programme, they can bring their daily garbage output down by practising proper waste separation, which will help reduce their fees, he said.

Businesses that sort their waste properly can reduce their daily garbage output by up to 40%, he added.