Khon Kaen: Provincial officials are gauging people's views on a plan to build a new incinerator in this northern province as the amount of garbage disposed there is growing at an alarming clip.
The current incinerator in the downtown area, run by Khon Kaen municipality, cannot cope with the huge amount of waste that is being produced, mostly by households.
The municipal office is also voicing concern that many residents are not separating their rubbish, which makes the sorting and disposal operations difficult.
People need to be better informed about good waste management, deputy Khon Kaen governor Santi Laobunsangiam said. However, the province still needs help from incinerators to get rid of the rubbish effectively.
A new garbage burner will be built with a system installed to get rid of chemical and toxic waste, he said, adding such garbage is currently transported to Saraburi for disposal.
The incinerator project will be put to a public hearing session as required by law.
But what residents can start to do right away is separate their rubbish for more efficient disposal.
"We'll focus on young people. We want them to play a key role in encouraging their family members to do the same," Mr Santi said.
He said garbage reduction should begin at home. Food and non-food items discarded by households will be transported for disposal by local administrative bodies in their landfill sites.
Local officials are positioned in the middle of the waste management process and their role should not be limited to garbage removal, Mr Santi said.
"They must also educate communities about the need to follow the province's [garbage disposal] policy," he added.
