Thinking about moving to Phuket?
The daily trash pile exceeds the capacity of the sole landfill and incinerator.
Trash is piling up at alarming rate, expanding the Saphan Hin landfill to over capacity.
The landfill is now encroaching on the Saphan Hill community and the stench is unbearable.
Phuket has undergone rapid development due to its tourism sector, a major driver of the Thai economy as a whole. Of the country’s 35.5 million foreign arrivals in 2024, about 13 million headed to Phuket. That compares with about 6 million two decades ago.
“The growth of (Phuket) city has been much more rapid than it should be,” said Suppachoke Laongphet, deputy mayor of the main municipality, explaining how a tourism and construction boom has pushed trash volumes above pre-Covid levels.
By the end of this year, the island could be producing up to 1,400 tons of trash a day, overwhelming its sole landfill at Saphan Hin, he said.
The province has only one incinerator operated by the Phuket municipality which can handle only about 900 tons of garbage daily. The rest is sent to dump sites. Only 10% of the trash in Phuket is recycled and 60% is organic waste, the Pollution Control Department says.
This is/will add an additional 500 tons per day if nothing is done to resolve the problem.
If you are thinking about relocating or investing in property in Phuket, be well aware the trash situation is going to get worse.
