Assessing upcoming touristic town's municipal solid waste flows and characterisation: a case of Phetchaburi Province, Thailand

摘要

Understanding the quantity and characteristics of waste generation in a locality is important for an appropriate estimation of the recyclability potential and overall waste management. Detailed municipal solid waste characterisations were conducted in three municipalities in Phetchaburi Province, Thailand. Physical composition (% wet basis) indicated the dominance of organic waste with 31.8% of food waste, and 20.04% of yard wastes. The average moisture content was as high as 64.75%. Average carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, sulphur and oxygen content constituted approximately 47.94, 6.90, 0.92, 0.16 and 26.77%, respectively. The gross calorific value (dry basis) was observed to be 4,561.13 kcal/kg. A material flow analysis conducted in the three study sites showed a linear pattern of waste flows, with large quantities of waste generated were being stocked in the landfill sites with minimal waste recovery. The composition and characteristics of waste, however, showed vast potential for waste diversion from landfills through either material recycling or energy recovery.