Project Details
Udon Thani
Location Description:
Udon Thani is located in northeastern
Thailand, near the northern (Laotian) border. Udon Thani is the major
town of the northern Khorat Plateau and is served by road, rail, and
air. The surrounding area produces rice, livestock, timber, and
freshwater fish. Pop. (1986 est.) 82,706. (Source: search.britannica.com)
Activities:
One of the major achievements of the project
is a community "Solid Waste Bank". The waste bank is a
collection depot where community members bring their recyclable goods.
Community members are issued a passbook to record the amount of recyclable
waste deposited in the bank. When the recyclable materials are sold to
a commodity broker, the community members receive a share of the proceeds.
The bank keeps 15% of the money to cover its maintenance and operating
costs. This is a community pilot project that could easily be replicated
elsewhere.
But the ‘Bank’ is much more than a waste collection depot.
Its other activities are equally impressive and include:
- Collecting and composting of organic waste materials (food waste
and garden trimmings) to produce fertilizer for a medicinal herb garden
located on site.
- Selling goods made from recyclable material, and
- Serving as a community education centre for appropriate waste management.
ICSC assisted with the development of landfill operations plans for
the new Udon Thani landfill. As well, a training program for landfill
workers at the new landfill was established with particular emphasis on
occupational safety and health. The landfill operations plan incorporated
opportunities for public input into the decision making process to help
address NIMBY (not in my backyard) concerns among local citizens.
The Stakeholder Committee developed and carried out a community
education program. This program, delivered through community fairs,
radio broadcasts, and printed hand–outs, kept the community up
to date and interested in their city’s own SWM project.
The successful recyclable waste separation programs in the municipal
hall became a model for other office buildings in Udon Thani.
As education and public awareness is of major importance to a
sustainable SWM plan, a waste management curriculum and various
resource materials for teachers were developed. An emphasis on
"accessible" materials included the production of comic books,
and other easily understood graphic materials (see the pictoral record
for examples).Through the program schools implement a waste separation
system for recyclables and a composting system for organic waste. The
compost is used on an organic vegetable garden on the school grounds.
Two schools piloted the program and it is now ready to be expanded
throughout the city.
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