Patong announces trash-sorting initiative

PATONG: Residents of Patong should get ready to start sorting their trash, as Patong Municipality plans to improve its waste management system by distributing plastic garbage bags in 10 colors, each designated for a particular category of waste.

The scheme, developed jointly with the Thai Industrialist Development Forum (TIDF), was announced at a press conference hosted by Patong Mayor Pian Keesin on Wednesday.

“Sorting all our trash into these 10 categories will make it a lot easier to dispose of. More useful types of trash then can be recycled.

“This initiative will not only reduce the volume of trash, but it will improve our environment and way of life by giving everyone a useful role to play in the community. It will also be a useful source of income for some people,” said Mayor Pian.

Finer details of the plan, such as what penalties will be imposed on those who fail to sort their garbage, were not discussed.

However, it was mentioned that the new system is intended to eliminate the need to truck refuse to the island’s overburdened trash incinerator at Saphan Hin.

The thick plastic bags will be distributed free and the new system is scheduled to go into operation in early December.

To dispose of the sorted waste, the TIDF will deploy a mobile grinding machine capable of rendering many categories of trash into re-usable litter.

The bag designations by color are:

Black: Food scraps and organic matter.

Blue: Cans, buckets, scrap iron.

Yellow: Plastics.

Gray: Cement and bricks.

Pink: Fabrics, such as cloth and silk.

Red: Glass.

Green: Paper.

Brown: Twigs and other plant matter.

Orange: Rubber, foam and leather.

Purple: Toxic items, such as batteries and aerosol canisters.

During the meeting it was announced that Patong now has 3,581 registered households and a registered population of 17,653 people.