Status and Issues of Recycling in Thailand

Asst. Prof. Dr. Thumrongrut MUNGCHAROEN 1 Mr.Patanasak HOONTRAKUL 2

(Thailand)
1

Expert, Cleaner Technology Advancement Program, National Metal and Materials Technology Center and Head, Chemical Engineering Department, Kasetsart University President, Thai Subcontracting Promotion Association and 390 Board & Treasurer, Foundation for International Human Resource Development

Topics
1. Current recycling system 2. Legal framework and government policies 3. Industry practices 4. Issues and problems
391

1. Current recycling system in Thailand

From the study on Thailand Energy Strategy and Policy by Energy Research Institute, Chulalongkorn University: Each year about 13 million tons of waste are generated (3 to 4 million tons or 30% is generated in Bangkok area) Recycling is currently carried out by individuals and the informal sector 1. Residents source separate some recyclable materials and sell them directly to street buyers 2. Waste collectors separate additional recyclable materials from garbage picked up from homes and businesses 3. Pickers recover additional recyclable material at the landfill Larger businesses sell recyclable materials directly to junk shops and brokers Urban waste consists of about 40% organic material, 20% plastic, and 10% paper - Current informal sector and various informal arrangements recover an estimated 22% of the urban waste stream - No significant attempts to recycle the organic fraction of waste through composting or digestion 392

1. Current recycling system in Thailand (cont.)

Rural waste is made up mostly of food scraps. - Food waste is fed to animals, and the remainder is composted or dried for use as fuel - There is no organized disposal option for rural waste so littering has been reported as a problem in rural areas Waste management planning has reached a critical point in many area. Old landfills are closed, and there is strong local resistance to construction of new landfills Energy Research Institute, Chulalongkorn University (2000) has proposed a comprehensive recycling strategy which includes the following components: 1. Increased recycling of dry materials from residential, commercial and industrial waste; 2. Collection and composting or digestion of organic waste from residential, commercial and industrial sources; 3. Manufacture of a refuse derived fuel (RDF) from some portions of the garbage stream; 4. Mandatory source separation of recyclable, compostable and reusable material 393 for commercial and industrial waste generators;

1. Current recycling system in Thailand (cont.)

5. Mandatory source separation of recyclable and compostable material from urban waste collected by municipal crews; 6. Implementation of a user pay policy for waste collected by municipal forces; 7. Implementation of user fees (tipping fees) for waste disposal at landfills; 8. Recycling and community composting of rural waste; 9. Extensive and on-going public education campaigns targeting the requirements of the new source separation systems; 10. A national recycling target of 50%, to be achieved by the year 2008; 11. New legislation on mandatory source separation of materials by residents and businesses throughout Thailand; 12. New anti-litter legislation; 13. Consultation with the public and industry on long term financing of the waste management system, and an appropriate role for industry in providing financial support.
394

1. Current recycling system in (cont.)

Thailand

Thailand Environment Institute (TEI) has established a Material

Exchange Center (MEC), a web-based center, to serve as a neutral body in coordinating the needs of factories or companies that have waste or discarded materials for recycling and those in need of materials for recycling
- Recycling one ton of aluminum saves the energy equivalent of 2,350 gallons of gasoline. - Every ton of steel recycled saves 2500 pounds of iron ore, 1400 pounds of coal and 120 pounds of lime stone - Recycling paper produces 73 percent less air pollution than does manufacturing paper from virgin materials, while recycling glass cuts down on mining wastes from glass manufacturing by 80 percent
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http://www.tei.or.th/mec/

Amount of Industry and Community waste and % recycle

Amount of Industrial Industries and Community waste (tons/yr) paper glass 3,139,000 1,756,000 Amount of Useful waste tons 1,024,000 730,000 180,000 plastic steel Aluminum Tire 2,930,000 28,552,000 276,000 358,000
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Method

% 32 Recycle 41 Recycle 10 Reuse 23 Recycle 80 Recycle 49 Recycle 11 Recycle 10 Reuse

674,000 2,288,000 135,000 41 35,000

80 70 60 50

%40
30 20 10
Aluminium plastic paper glass steel Tyre

current (%) expected(%)

Expected % recycle of Thailand

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Total Consumption in Thailand

1.2 1

O u a n titie s(M illio nU n its )

0.8 0.6 0.4 0.2 0 1997

T V

1998
A ir C o n .

1999
R e frig .
398

2000

2001
C o m p .M o n ito r

Y e a r

2. Legal framework and government policies

9th National Economic and Social Development Plan (2002-2006) Supporting the segregation, take back and recovery of wastes at least 30% Promoting the waste recovery and cleaner technology (CT) Measures Promote CT for the eco-efficiency in manufacturing sector to reduce raw materials, energy and pollution as well as increase the 3R efficiency and resource use potential, such as design for long-life product, design of zero emission product, etc. Control the production of packaging in order to reduce/select materials and increase 3R Promote the material/waste exchange center in the manufacturing sector
399

Target of pilot study in Thailands Municipality

1. Reduce the amount of waste and trash by 10% in the first year and then increase to 20% within 5 years by the project of picking out waste and trash from 6 schools under the Department of Education

Lampang Municipality

Nonthaburi Municipality

1. Recycle 20% of collected household waste by 2005 1. Increase green area by 20% by 2005
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Strategy on WEEE & RoHS

and Electronics 2) Household Electrical Appliances 3) Lightings 4) Medical Equipments 5) Others (Toys, etc.)

Set up a working committee to follow up and assess the effect of these directives. There are 5 groups of products: 1) Computers Raise awareness to industries especially SMEs Study the appropriate measures to implement Improve Law & Regulations to comply with those international regulations Set up an Early Warning System for other directives to come

Future Tasks on WEEE & RoHS

Create and support to launch the appropriate take back system of WEEE Develop and issue the restricted law and regulation to control the discard, 3R and final disposal of WEEE Promote 3R and material/waste exchange to manufacturer Establish the Central WEEE Management Facilities for segregation, reuse, recycle, recovery, treatment and final 401 disposal

Relevant projects/programmes
Department of Foreign Trade - Study on the Impacts of Directive on WEEE and RoHS to Thai Industries and the WEEE Management Guide (studied by EEI/ TEI/ MTEC/ KU/ CU) 2003 Thailand Environment Institute (TEI) - Study and promote Waste Exchange to industry section National Metal and Materials Technology Center (MTEC) - Study on the substitution of Hz substance use in the EEE (2003-now) - Green Manufacturing Technical Assistance Program (under Green Aid Plan) on LCA, Ecodesign and Recycling Technology (2002-now) - Research and Promotion of CT, LCA, Ecodesign, and Recycling (project on LCA of Rotary compressor/ LCA of Refrigerator/ Eco-Compressor/ etc.) NEPO (National Energy Policy Office) - Study on Integration of Recycling into the Energy Conservation Plan (2000) Pollution Control Department (PCD) - The establishment of the appropriate bring/buy back system for WEEE - Draft the regulation on hazardous waste management on the basis of depositrefund system - Technical guideline on WEEE Management (overview, fluorescent lamp, monitor) 402 Department of Industrial Works (DIW) - FS on WEEE Recycle Plant

3. Industry Practices
3.1 Toyota, Thailand
Thinner Steel scrap From pressing Wood, paper

Recycle factory
Loading Recycle

Redesign for smallest steel scrap Recycle of plastic: Cut to small pieces Thinner reused Recycle Fluorescence Bulbs
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3. Industry Practices
3.2 Michelin Siam Group Co.,Ltd. Used Tire Recycling Project a joint project between the 3 major tire manufacturers of Thailand (Michelin Siam Group + Goodyear Thailand + Bridgestone NRC) Total production capacity of 25.5 million pieces annually. In 2001, the actual production of ~ 19.7 million tires (domestic 11.6 million, export 8.1 million) Used Tire Recycling Project Today, fewer and fewer used tires are ending up in landfill or dumps as new recycling possibilities are developed and more people become aware of the ecological stakes involved. Michelin is committed to the fight to protect the environment and actively participates in the common movement within the tire industry to encourage end-of-life tire recycling Recycling rates in 2002: Western Europe 73%, Japan 87%, North America 85%, Brazil 31% (Sources - BLIC, RMA, JATMA.)
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Used Tire Recycling Project

The main challenge is the creation and management of genuine solutions for collecting and recycling end-of-life tires 1. Energy recovery: An end-of-life tire represents an amount of heat energy comparable to that of good-quality coal: 30 to 34 MJ/kg. So one tonne of tires yields the same energy as 0.7 tonne of oil.The low level of sulfur (1%) contained in tires compared with certain types of coal (5%) make them a substitute fuel with less impact on the environment. 2. Material recovery: Michelin considers non-reusable end-of-life tires to be recyclable items and is doing its utmost to change their image as waste, by developing their reuse in various forms. 3. Whole tires: These are used as filling material for roads, retaining structures, noiseabatement walls and as shock absorbers along jetties and quaysides. 4. Cut tires: Cut tires are widely used as a supporting layer for rail tracks to reduce noise and vibration. 5. Shredded tires: In shredded form, they are mainly used as draining sub-layers or as light filling material in road construction. 6. Granulate and powder: When ground into a granulate or powder, tires are used to make molded objects such as refuse containers and golf cart wheels. The powdered form can also be used to make surfaces for sports activities: stadiums, playground 405 surfaces, etc. Similarly, the addition of powdered rubber to road surfaces helps to reduce tire/road contact noise and increase the life span of the surface.

3. Industry Practices
3.3 Siam Cement Group
Recycling and Greening the Supply Chain
Raw material supplier

Final products manufacturer

End user

- Just started Green Procurement Project in 2004: set up main criteria using LCA concept with social & environmental management
406

Management Siam Cement Group: 2001Tons 600000 2003 R e u s e / R e c y c leW it h in

500000 400000 300000 200000 100000 0 2001
407

(Ref.slide 9)

,0 8 7 1 2

15.70 %

R e c y c leO u t s id e ,3 2 9 7 1 9

58.25

,3 4 6 7 2 2 84.30 %

,0 7 7 6 5 29.87 % ,0 2 1 3 9 8 ,9 1 8 0 0 7 70.13 % 2002 2003

41.75

Year

3. Industry Practices
3.4 3R of used computers Main Components of Computers: CPU, Monitor, Keyboard, Speakers and Mouse
Copper 7.0% Aluminium 14.2% Lead 6.3% Others 0.3% Glass 24.9%

Plastic 22.8%
Components by types of material
408

Iron 24.5%

3.4 3R of used computers (Cont.)

There are ~ 927,850 computers in Thailand in 2001 - 890,300 Desktops and 37,550 Laptops (Notebooks) (average 5.75 sets per 100 households) Potential for Recycle of used computers Group 1: High (> 80%) - Aluminum, Iron, Nickel, Gold, Silver Group 2: Moderate (50~80%) - Zinc, Indium, Silinium, Rhodium Group 3: Low (<50%) - Lead, Plastics Group 4: None (0%) - Germanium, Gallium, Barium, Tantalum - Vanadium, Barillium, Europiam Examples of used computers management Monitor: refurblish for resale/ recycle/ extraction of Lead Printed Circuit Board: grinding/separation of pulp paper, copper and gold
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3. Industry Practices
3.5 Recycle of WEEE in Thailand
Life time of WEEE (year)

Type of product TV Refrigerator Washing M/C A/C Indoor A/C Outdoor

Thailand 18.6 15.1 11.9 9.24 8.85

Japan (METI 2002) 12.5 13.5 11.2 13.8 13.8

410

Japan Off of Secretariat of Cabinet 2002 10.23 11.48 9.03 12.55

Japan Tokyo Metro 1998 13.95 14.58 11.95 13.71 15.20

Source: Survey of the WEEE in Thailand , June 2004 (for PC: 7 years, CRT: 9.27 years)

3. Industry Practices
3.5 Recycle of WEEE in Thailand
No. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Type of WEE Average weight Recyclable Non-recyclable rate (%) rate (%) (kg/unit) TV 17.45 31 69 Refrigerator Washing Machine A/C Indoor A/C Outdoor PC CRT Screen 40.37 45.48 35.10 40.59 6.79 13.61
411

92 71 100 100 100 100

8 29 0 0 0 0

Source: Survey conducted by dismantling the parts of the WEEE, 10 units for each category

4. Issues and problems

Wastes in Thailand currently increase ~10% each year Very difficult to separate Useful waste from Municipal wastes Lack of a specific regulation or measure for the management of waste Lack of high technology Recycle factory Poor financial support on waste management as reflected in the budget allocation each year Lack of expertise, technologies and facilities
412

Problems
How to reduce waste/ garbage Lack of public awareness Lack of promotion activities Laws and regulations are not adequate to protect export of low quality products (generate more wastes) How to segregate waste/ garbage Lack of public awareness No formal/systematic waste or garbage separation/ segregation Goods/ products sold didnt design to easy disassemble/ recycle How to reuse/ recycle Lack of expertise and research Lack of support/ commitment from the government Lack of technologies and funding
413

Problems/Constraints for WEEE

Rapid growth of EEE Production and Use in Thailand has resulted in a major increase in the quantity of WEEE Hazard content of WEEE is of concern and cause the environmental problem Illegal import of WEEE in the term of second hand products for sale or reuse are the environmental and financial burden 90% of WEEE is currently disposed together with municipal solid wastes without pre-treatment (recycling by informal sectors) Lack of a specific regulation or measure for the management of WEEE (No law on take back system, No law on WEEE recycling) No agency directly responsible for take back system and recycling (there are only organizations for the environment) Lack of expertise, technologies and facilities.
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References
Kokusai Kogyo (Thailand), The Field Survey on the Discharge of WEEE, June 2004 Siam Cement Group, Sustainability Report 2003. Thailand Environmental Institute, Proceeding on Waste and Energy Management: How Business should adjust, December 2003. http://www.tei.or.th/mec/ http://www.runsnroses.com/information/recycle.htm

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