A large number of villagers from the city’s Thasala sub district took their waste to the municipality today to separate their waste as part of a campaign to raise awareness about recycling and waste management.
Organic waste will all be turned into fertiliser which villagers can receive back at the value of their waste contributed and sell on, while other waste such as glass, plastic, paper, etc. can be sold for up to 25 baht per kg.
Sririphat Kawila, mayor of Thasala said, “This project aims to reduce the amount of waste in our community so that our waste impacts the environment as little as possible. It is also about cleanliness and hygiene so villagers can reduce waste water and smells from garbage bins. I have been very surprised by the support across the community of this initiative. Most of the people in our community are farmers and the fact that they can create their own fertiliser to use is also of great value. We have already noticed change; waste from the community has reduced by half this year already.”
The municipality also takes a truck around the community once per week to collect organic waste for fertiliser.
A new programme called Waste for Dreams has also been initiated so that people can collect points as well as fertiliser and with enough points the municipality says it will then offer the dreams, such as electrical appliances, bicycles or other wishes villagers have.
The aim is to involve all 5,122 households in the sub-district.
“I am so proud to be a part of this community which focuses on the health of the environment. This makes our community better and stronger in every way,” said Wilai Wichaiwongs, a woman living in Thasala.