Hazardous Waste in Thailand

Hazardous waste is likely to grow rapidly with a strong economy. As industrialization and development continue at a rapid pace and as populations increase, so do problems of pollution and waste generation that are associated with them. Hazardous waste has inherent problems of transport, treatment and disposal that distinguish it from other classes of waste and make it particularly difficult to manage. The range of waste that is considered hazardous is wide, from hazardous waste produced by households, including such items as batteries, light bulbs, spray cans and cleaning solvents that may be mixed in with municipal waste streams to heavy metals that generated from industrial activities.

Hazardous Waste in Thailand

For industrial waste in Thailand, there is only 24% of hazardous waste produced in Bangkok and vicinity is treated by licensed centralized treatment facilities. The remainder is managed using a combination of lower cost and often times less regulated practices. Approximately 14 percent of the waste is managed off-site through disposal by other unlicensed treatment and disposal operators, waste buyers and private recycling firms. In addition, 56 percent of hazardous waste is managed on the factory site which, due to the large numbers of factories, is difficult to regularly monitor.

For household hazardous waste, it was produce less than one quarter of the community generated hazardous waste in the country, but account for half of the community hazardous waste disposed in landfills. Although there have been attempts in Bangkok to improve household waste management, there is currently limited segregation at the source; limited awareness among the public and collection workers; and limited systematized disposal practices.

Waste of Biologic waste is an environmental concern, as many medical wastes are classified as infectious or biohazardous and could potentially lead to the spread of infectious diseases. Examples of infectious waste include blood, potentially contaminated "sharps" such as needles and scapels, and identifiable body parts. Infectious waste is often incinerated, and is usually sterilized if it is to be placed in a landfill. Additionally, medical premises produce a variety of waste hazardous chemicals, including radioactive materials. While such wastes are normally not infectious, they may be classified as hazardous waste, and require proper disposal.



What does hazardous waste affect to the people and environment?

Human health

· contains one or more of 39 carcinogenic, mutagenic, or teratogenic compounds at levels that exceed established limits (includingmany solvents, pesticides, and paint strippers)
· Water pollution causes due to contamination of drinking water by untreated sawage in developing countries.
· reactive or unstable enough to explode or release toxic fumes (including acids, bases, ammonia, and chlorine bleach)
· Source of disease proliferation especially garbage or waste from hospital
Effect of environment
· Air pollution and global warming from combusting the waste
· Waste released in canal or river will contaminate the water and spoil the water ecosystem. Furthermore, it obstructs the drains and cause flood.

Effect of Hazardous Waste to Ecosystems

- Sulfer dioxide and oxides of nitrogen can cause acid rain which reduces the pH value of soil.
- Soil can become infertile and unsuitable for plants. This will affect other organism in the food web.
-Smog and haze can reduce the amount of sunlight received by plants to carry out photosinthesis.
-Invasive species can out compete native species and reduce biodiversity. Invasive plants can contribute debris and biomolecules (allelopathy) that can alter soil and chemical compositions of an environment, often reducing native species competitiveness.
-Biomagnification describes a situation where toxins may be pass through trophic levels, becoming exponentially more concentrated in the process.

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Management

Reuse and Recycling Promotion: Includes promotion of reuse and recycling methods for hazardous waste, including use of cement kilns in
recycling, and supports waste analysis and blending industries.
Waste Exchange: This ongoing program aimed to match factories that can use certain types of waste as raw materials with factories that produce
that waste would be promoted further through broader dissemination and programs to get industries together to arrange exchanges.
Waste Minimization: Includes implementation of a waste manifest system to track the amount of waste produced and its destination;
undertakes waste audits to promote better management of waste and segregation of recyclables; encourages zero emissions in industrial estates; and formulates industrial waste management for individual industrial sectors.

What can you do as an individual or as a class to help resolve this issue?

1. Minimise the amount of waste you produce. Waste is expensive in all terms; the world's physical resources and the University financial resources. Buy and use less, reuse and recycle more. Follow the waste hierarchy. Some wastes (such as microbiological and some chemical material) can be treated on site to remove a hazard before being disposed of, thus minimising human and environmental risk and reducing costs of disposal.

2. Deal with your own waste. Find out where to put the waste you generate. If you work in a laboratory or workshop you will know the hazards of the waste. Before you finish your studies or employment at the University ensure that you do not leave materials in cupboards, refrigerators etc..

3. Identify the hazards in the waste so that information on the nature of the waste can be passed on to people further down the chain of the 'duty of care'. Conversely, if the hazard no longer exists, hazard warning information (such as pictograms and hazard warning phrases) on containers should be removed, or defaced, before disposal.

4. Segregate and contain the waste to avoid problems of mixing incompatible wastes and to avoid spreading hazards in the work area.

5. Transfer sufficient information to ensure the safe ultimate disposal of any hazardous waste.

6. Use licensed and audited carriers and disposers.