On the vibrant island of Phuket, renowned for its breathtaking landscapes and bustling tourism, there’s a quiet yet significant revolution taking place—waste management. For years, this idyllic paradise has struggled under the weight of its own success, with the influx of tourists inadvertently contributing to the piling heaps of waste. However, change is afoot, led by a forward-thinking initiative pioneered by Phuket City officials. Enter the community-driven “waste bank” program, a brainchild of Deputy Mayor Supachok Laongpetch, designed to tackle the mountainous 1,200 tonnes of daily waste head-on. Supachok, a visionary in waste management, underscored the paramount importance of sustainable waste strategies during a recent briefing. His mission? To rally the community around the concept of waste separation and recycling—before the islands themselves are buried under their own refuse. This isn’t just any old recycling scheme—it’s an innovative approach where the community is actively encouraged to partition and deposit recyclable…
