Why proper waste management is key to a circular economy
Managing industrial and community waste properly is key to driving the circular economy in Thailand, sustainable solution provider Insee Ecocycle says.
The company’s CEO Suchintana Viraratt said there are many solutions to waste management, such as plastic recycling and producing refuse-derived fuel (RDF) to feed electricity and cement production.
She pointed out that improper waste sorting presented a challenge in dealing with community waste as it caused waste management costs to rise.
“If community waste is sorted properly, it can be recycled,” she said, adding that community waste is suitable for producing RDF as it is 80% plastic waste.
Suchintana said the circular economy and waste management should go hand-in-hand as waste management is a crucial part of the value chain. She expects Insee Ecocycle to reduce 300,000 tons of industrial and community waste this year.
The company is looking for alternatives to boost waste management efficiency, such as producing more RDFs to feed electricity and cement production.
"At Insee Ecocycle, we see waste as a resource that should be managed from the beginning of the production process to ensure maximum benefits," she added.
According to the Pollution Control Department, Thailand produced 25.70 million tons of waste last year. Of this figure, 8.80 million tons of waste were utilised and a further 9.80 million tons were properly managed while 7.10 million tons were not.
