Increased tourism in recent years causes garbage overflow in Phuket

ABC NEWS (Australia)

One of Thailand’s tourist hot spots is battling a waste management crisis.  While Phuket has benefited from the post-pandemic tourism boom, locals have been left struggling to find a solution to mounting garbage.

Transcript

00:00On the picturesque island of Phuket, tourists flock to the turquoise waters and vibrant

00:08nightlife. But away from the hotels and beaches, a massive landfill on the east coast of the

00:16island is overflowing, a symbol of the rapid growth in tourism since the end of the pandemic.

00:24The growth of the city has been much more rapid than it should be. Therefore, it could

00:29mean a crisis in terms of waste management within Phuket province, which the municipality

00:34must accommodate.

00:36Locals are copping the brunt of the problem, with the odour from the garbage affecting

00:42quality of life for people living near the landfill.

00:46There is no life outside the house, we just stay at home. Sometimes at home you have to

00:51wear a mask because of the smell from the nearby landfill. When the smell is very strong

00:55you have to wear a mask and turn on the air conditioner and air purifier all the time.

01:00Of the 35 million foreign arrivals to Thailand in 2024, about 13 million headed to Phuket.

01:09Authorities say they want to cut waste generation, expand the landfill and build a new incinerator.

01:16But experts say increasing landfill capacity is only part of the solution to make tourism

01:23more sustainable in Phuket.

01:25I think it's good that they don't forget the part that they need to also focus on waste

01:30reduction, waste separation. Because if we just keep expanding more waste incinerator,

01:36I don't think that would be just the solution. Because at the end of the day, you have access

01:41and you would end up using this kind of preset landfill.

01:45As the stench wreaks havoc on locals, tourists could soon start to notice something doesn't

01:51smell right.

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