The Industry Ministry is moving forward with its end-of-life vehicle (ELV) project, designed to recycle unwanted cars and better support waste management.
The ministry is focusing on how to properly handle old cars once people switch to new ones.
Industry permanent secretary Nattapol Rangsitpol said officials are considering various issues such as technologies for dismantling used cars, establishing recycling plants and determining the volume of vehicles supplied to these facilities.
The ELV project aligns with Thailand's bio-, circular and green (BCG) economic development model, promoted by Industry Minister Varawut Silpa-archa.
The BCG framework encourages manufacturers to adopt technologies that add value to products while minimising environmental impact.
By recycling materials from old vehicles, the ELV project can reduce waste and create a sustainable management system.
Kriengsak Wongpromrat, president of the Thailand Automotive Institute (TAI), said Thailand can export used cars to Southeast Asian nations in an effort to manage unwanted vehicles.
Thailand previously shipped old cars to the Philippines and Malaysia, while also importing vehicles from abroad for recycling, noted the TAI.
Recycled materials such as steel and plastic are valuable, with steel often reused in the construction sector.
To strengthen recycling efforts, the ministry is working with Japan's New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization and Toyota Tsusho Corporation.
These partnerships aim to enhance Thailand's capacity to dismantle and recycle ELVs, ensuring the country's automotive industry aligns with both environmental goals and economic growth.
Wastech Exponential, an energy developer and subsidiary of Millcon Steel Plc, announced earlier it partnered with two companies to jointly build two new waste-to-energy power plants in a move to strengthen its position in the renewables business.
The company plans to use waste left over from ELVs as fuel for the plants, with each offering an electricity generation capacity of 9.5 megawatts.
Millcon Steel announced it would invest in a recycling business through its subsidiary Suntech Recycle & Decarbon Co.
