SUCCESS FACTORS FOR SOLID WASTE-TO ENERGY PRODUCTION: A CASE STUDY OF THAILAND

Abstract

Municipal solid waste (MSW) represents a major threat to the environment and health, particularly around waste management (WM) sites. In developing countries, environmental and social problems are worsened by ineffective waste management (WM) schemes as well as a lack of awareness. This is in sharp contrast with developed countries, where waste is treated as a commodity, a paradigm that helps advance solid waste management (SWM) systems as well as waste to energy (WTE). Developing countries around the world recognize the potential of WTE and are investing in different waste recovery systems. Despite the growing support for WTE, current barriers in developing countries are preventing its further development. Focusing on the case study of Thailand, this thesis analyses the barriers to and the success factors to waste-to-energy development. Through analysis of secondary data and in-depth interviews with key stakeholders, this thesis identifies two major types of barriers: lack of transparency and public participation. The findings suggest that further attention must be placed on the improvement of municipal capabilities in order to advance, apply, and enforce comprehensive guidelines for encouraging WTE promotion.