Circular economy/ Mae Fah Luang Foundation

Chatrudee Theparat

Mae Fah Luang Foundation takes another step to become a waste management consultant, providing its service under the “Doi Tung model of zero waste.”

The move follows the previous step after the foundation has successfully provided waste management to 24 villages and eight schools in the Doi Tung Development Project, according to Thanapong Duangmanee, director of Environmental Policy of the Mae Fah Luang Foundation.

“Currently there are four companies to ask for cooperation from Mae Fah Luang Foundation to be consultants to work on the "Doi Tung model" to manage their waste.”

Dr Thanapong Duangmanee, director of Environmental Policy of the Mae Fah Luang Foundation

The Doi Tung Development Project introduced waste separation at the Waste Management Center in 2012. Over years, it has reduced the amount of waste treatment to landfills by an average 40%, and was down to an average 15% during 2016-2017. From 2018 to date, waste sent to landfills has become zero.

Later, the project expanded this management concept to the villages in Doi Tung Development Project, which currently has 24 villages and they can follow the concept by separating waste properly.

According to the “Doi Tung Model”, there are key strategies for waste management with proper solutions, leading to separate up to 44 types of wastes and create value and generate income for the community.

Waste management is one of the "Doi Tung Model" and it becomes a prototype in the area. It is promoted as a learning center for organizations, education institutes and people interested in solving garbage problems.

Wasant Brahmalee, the village headman of Moo 17 of Ban Huai Nam Khun, is among the 24 villages in the Doi Tung Development project to be happy with such a waste management concept and the outcome. It can help solve the problem of lacking landfill site for his village, which is located in a mountainous and forest protection area.

Huai Nam Khun Subdistrict Administrative Organization turned a plot of rented land outside the area into a landfill, with a two-year contract from September 2019 to September 2020. So far, it will reach its maximum capacity within a year.

Mr Wasant said that in year-end 2019, a village waste management committee was established to introduce a garbage management scheme on the guidance of Doi Tung Development Project. He said only three months of operation following the guideline, wastes were managed well.

“Waste management was carried out in accordance with the Doi Tung Development Project’s guideline. The landfill was closed down in October 2020 because the waste rate became zero after receiving waste management advice.”

Wasant Brahmalee, the village headman of Moo 17 of Ban Huai Nam Khun

“If there is any village to get unable to separate waste properly, they will get a warning and fined, but in the past five years, there was no residents to get fined, only warnings.”

Moo 17 of Ban Huai Nam Khun with 210 families totaling 1,200 residents, Mr Wasan leads the villagers to manage their waste and trash installation scheme in every household was launched. It required the villagers to separate garbage into six types and put them in a clear bag and drop them at the waste management center for the Subdistrict Administrative Organization to handle.

Mr Wasant said Moo 17 has became a model village in applying the royal initiative in waste management and a prototype area for learning waste management.

In 2021, Moo 17 of Ban Huai Nam Hhun won first prize in waste management competition among 24 villages from the Doi Tung Development and won second place in the nationwide competition for zero waste in 2022

In addition, five million baht from Thai Beverage Co was donated for the Mae Fah Luang District Administrative Organization to establish the Mae Fah Luang Community Waste Management Center, which is equipped with machinery for waste separation, washing machine for stained plastic bags and glass grinder for reuse.

In 2021, Moo 17 of Ban Huai Nam Hhun won first prize in waste management competition among 24 villages from the Doi Tung Development and received second in the nationwide competition for zero waste in 2022

Mae Fah Luang subdistrict reported that in 2024, an amount of 177 tons of garbage did not send to the landfills, thanks to 10 groups of 262 people studying waste management. The result is great because it can reduce greenhouse gas emissions 380 tons, equivalent to 394 rai of forest. Also, it created job, valued approximately 900,000 baht.

Mae Fah Luang Foundation implemented a waste management project at Doi Tung under the concept of circular economy by organizing a waste separation system in 2012 at Doi Tung Waste Management Center which has waste dumped in a landfill 40%.

The project continued until there was zero waste in 2018. Waste was divided into six types: recycled materials, biodegradable waste, dirty waste, energy waste, bathroom waste, hazardous waste. They were divided into details according to its usage as 44 types. Waste was separated according to the sorted types, there are methods to manage each type of waste without landfills.

The waste management for zero waste has been successful in the Doi Tung Development Project and later was expanded to 24 villages and eight schools in the area. The project is expected to reach the goal of zero waste by 2025.

Dr Thanapong said that currently Thailand has a large amount of garbage with 27 million tons per year. Of the total, 9 million is reused, 10 million well managed at the landfill, and about 7 million managed improperly