Author(s)

SINEENART PUANGMANEE, KANLAYARAT CHUAISINUAN

Abstract

Phuket Old Town Night Market is a beautiful market in Thailand. The market is located among picturesque Sino-Portuguese houses in Phuket Old Town. The spaces between the buildings are packed with stalls selling traditional local foods and beverages, Thai handicrafts, modern fashions, and souvenirs. Solid waste is produced from the many activities within the market area. Therefore, this paper aimed to study solid waste management at the night market in Phuket Old Town and aimed to study the types and quantities of solid waste, waste storage, waste collection, transfer and transportation, and disposal of the waste products. The waste selected from 24 bins at 14 bin points in the market area produced four types of waste: organic waste (52%); general waste (40%); recyclable waste (7%); and hazardous waste (1%). The average generation rate of the waste was 0.03 kg/person/day. The waste materials from the bins were collected by six employees of the municipality who wore unsuitable protective suits while working. They collected waste materials from transparent plastic bins that were 50 and 70 litres in size and green plastic bins that were 240 litres in size. All bins were fitted with black or transparent plastic bags. All waste materials were carried and transferred for disposal by two municipal employees in a vehicle provided by the municipality. According to the government guidelines, the transport workers wore unsuitable clothing. Furthermore, the waste materials were transferred and transported without separation at the source. The waste was taken to an incineration plant for disposal. The municipality, president of Phuket Old Town, and the organizer should manage the solid waste materials more strictly according to the 3Rs to reduce the amount of waste for incineration. They also need to prepare PPE suits for the waste handlers. Also, volunteers should be available to advise visitors on waste segregation within the market.

Keywords

solid waste management, Phuket Old Town, night market