Key Success Factors in Solid Waste Management in Koh Samui, Thailand - Research Paper Example

Koh Samui is an island with a population of 55,000 and, its economy is majorly supported by the tourism industry. Being the second-largest island in Thailand makes it the home of many hotels, resorts, restaurants, and other areas where tourists can be accommodated and entertained. Owing to this growth in the tourism industry, the environment has undergone changes in its solid waste composition. This has prompted the management of solid waste using different methods to ensure effectiveness. A larger portion of the solid waste on the island is courtesy of tourists.

Of this waste, the largest portion is non-degradable waste including plastics which are 30% of the waste. It is important to note that the best practices for solid waste management in Koh Samui are dependent on how different methods are combined. For instance, landfill and incineration can be combined with separation and recycling. This yields two methods, which are recycled separation and landfill and recycle, separation and incineration (Sharp & Sang-Arun, 2012). Best practices for solid waste management in Koh Samui point towards an integrated was management system.

It encompasses recycling, composting, landfilling, and waste prevention. Such systems have the ability to sustain themselves and are successful. Reducing and separating waste One of the practices of solid waste management on the island is reducing waste and separating for the purposes of recycling. This practice involves segregating household and the informal sector at the source, valuable materials are sorted by garbage collectors including metals, plastics, and other items that can be sold to Junk shops, which are often located near solid waste disposal sites and along routes that garbage trucks take (Samui Municipality, 2010b).

This practice has not yet been spread widely on the island because it is in its initial stages of implementation. One of the initiatives that have been taken to ensure that this practice succeeds is the Green Island Project which commenced in 2007 (The Green Island Project, 2010).