Bangkok – 10 March 2023 – Dow Thailand Group, in collaboration with Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA), Thailand Institute of Packaging and Recycling Management for Sustainable Environment (TIPMSE), Koh Klang Community, Khlongtoei District Office, and other project partners, held a seminar and an open-house event under “Koh Klang: Community Model on Integrated Waste Management Project”. Development process, lesson-learned and success of the Model were compiled in Koh Klang Waste Management Guideline available in the form of a free pocketbook and e-book. The practical and sustainable approach to urban waste management can be scaled up and expanded in other sub-districts in Bangkok.
Dow, a leading global materials science company, in collaboration with Khlongtoei District Office, Bangkok Metropolitan Administration, district administrators and public-private organizations that have been supporting the development of learning center on integrated waste management in Koh Klang Community, organized a seminar on “Koh Klang: Transforming Waste to Wealth”. The objective of this event is to share lesson-learned and promote sustainable waste management in other districts of Bangkok.
“In several communities, Dow promotes waste segregation at the source. Koh Klang has been able to manage waste so efficiently that it can reduce the amount of waste in participating households by more than 50%, or up to 4.9 tons per year. In the past year, even during the outbreak of COVID-19, this figure has been achievable because people in the community have realized the value of different resources and can transform seemingly useless waste into the products that can generate more value and income while reducing expenses within the community by as much as 107,400 baht per year. The concepts and guidelines to create this added value are contained in the handbook of comprehensive waste management, which provides many simple but practical ways to make use of waste. Dow is delighted to have contributed in support of Koh Klang as a model community and in the production of free handbooks for distribution to the public,” said Supot Katetopragran, Commercial Director of Dow Thailand Group.
The Koh Klang Comprehensive Waste Management Learning Center is located in Koh Klang Community on Phra Khanong Canal. The community is over one-hundred years old, in the heart of Bangkok. In addition, in 2020, this community was designated as a model community for effective comprehensive waste management. Dow has been able to initiate and implement a waste management system in the community through sorting thanks to valuable coordination with Khlongtoei District Office and Thailand Institute of Packaging and Recycling Management for Sustainable Environment (TIPMSE), the Federation of Thai Industries. Also, the community itself is allowed to have full engagement in project management.
Occupying only three rai, Koh Klang Community has 56 households and 230 residents. Earlier, it was seen as a very crowded and deteriorated community, allegedly responsible for dumping garbage into the river and the canal. However, due to the great determination of all community members upon the project’s implementation, this negative image has been completely changed. The community area has been renovated in such a way that it will eventually have very beautiful landscapes and views with a systematic waste separation point. The products derived from such effective waste management, e.g., biogas, can be used for cooking in the community for up to 720 hours, saving about 9,600 baht per year in energy costs. These are just some examples of the community’s activities that can add value to the waste. In addition, many kinds of garbage have been made used of to produce a variety of products which are all beneficial to the community in terms of waste management, sanitation, product utilization, additional income, cost savings, etc. Since the project has successfully raised the awareness of efficient use of resources, it is considered a model learning center from which other communities can apply the concepts of waste management to their own areas.
“We have been working hand in hand with the community to change their attitudes towards waste, encouraging them to understand that waste is a valuable resource with more added value if it is used, stored, recycled, and developed in a proper manner. The guidelines for operation in this project are based on the circular economy, the principles of which consist of one, the community is able to sort the types of waste, especially recyclable waste. Two, the community has more income from selling different plastic waste that can be recycled, which enables the efficient reuse of almost all recyclable plastic waste. It took just one year for such a small community to deliver 7.09 tons of recyclable materials into the system, which is regarded as a very great example of appropriate plastic waste management. Three, the community is able to summarize the concepts and the methods, and then transfer them to other communities that want to apply this comprehensive waste management. All the aforementioned are successes from merely a few years of operation in just a small community. If all parties work together and promote this successful management to other communities, there will certainly be broader achievements. All we need to do is work together according to the provided handbooks,” added Supot.
“The synergy of BMA, Dow, and the community is considered a solid collaboration that has contributed to the success of waste management, one of BMA's key policies. In particular, the community is allowed to participate in the early stages of sorting waste under the BMA campaign ‘Mai Tay Ruam (never mix different types of garbage together)’, which is designated to encourage all households to sort the garbage before disposal. This campaign is believed to enhance the efficiency of waste management and help relieve the task burdens of BMA officials in terms of sorting the non-contaminated dry waste, cleaning the garbage, processing the wet waste into products with more added value, and so on. Moreover, the appropriate management for each type of waste will help reduce the amount of waste that is now exceeding the limited landfills. This will also have a positive effect on the management of space and environment of Bangkok in the future,” said Jakkapan Phiewngam, Deputy Bangkok Governor.
“We can add value to many types of waste by just putting them back into the system. The reuse of such waste means we can use the limited resources for maximum benefit. It is evident that this project is beneficial and can be applied or adapted by other district offices. The handbook can be used as basic guidelines to enhance community development, providing new ways of operation and collaboration that encourage people to sort the waste at early stages and process it to produce different products. Accordingly, this shall finally transform Bangkok into a more livable city, like other capital cities in the world,” concluded Jakkapan.
The free handbook can be downloaded at https://drive.google.com/file/d/1d8Hoja0r_V9-kNgAMXLlav-QV2_6-4S5/view?usp=drivesdk.
About Dow
Dow (NYSE: DOW) combines global breadth; asset integration and scale; focused innovation and materials science expertise; leading business positions; and environmental, social and governance leadership to achieve profitable growth and help deliver a sustainable future. The Company's ambition is to become the most innovative, customer centric, inclusive, and sustainable materials science company in the world. Dow's portfolio of plastics, industrial intermediates, coatings and silicones businesses delivers a broad range of differentiated, science-based products and solutions for its customers in high-growth market segments, such as packaging, infrastructure, mobility and consumer applications. Dow operates manufacturing sites in 31 countries and employs approximately 37,800 people. Dow delivered sales of approximately $57 billion in 2022. References to Dow or the Company mean Dow Inc. and its subsidiaries. For more information, please visit www.dow.com or follow @DowNewsroom on Twitter.
About Dow Thailand Group
Dow started its business in Thailand in 1967, then expanded through a joint venture with SCG in 1987 (in 2022, SCG Chemicals rebranded to SCGC). At present, Dow Thailand Group consists of Dow's wholly owned subsidiaries and SCGC-DOW joint ventures. In addition, there is also a Solvay and Dow joint venture in Thailand. Dow Thailand Group is the largest manufacturing base for Dow in the Asia Pacific, with many manufacturing facilities in Rayong province. Its strategic markets in Thailand are packaging, building and infrastructure, and mobility industries. More information could be found at https://th.dow.com/en-us or the Thai Facebook www.facebook.com/DowThailandGroup/
For further information, please contact:
Apiradee Poopirom
Dow Thailand Group
Tel. 02-3657296 / 081-8026933
Email:papiradee@dow.com
Suttipong Krotintakom
Dow Thailand Group
Tel. 038-673315 / 081-7919626
Email:skrotintakom@dow.com
Lalida, Tisadondilok
Dow Thailand Group
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Email:lalida@dow.com