Household waste and the circular economy in Bangkok

The report finds a significant 'value-action gap' in Bangkok households, where high reported commitment to waste sorting does not match the fact that 75% of household waste is thrown out as trash. Organic waste is the primary contributor to this gap, comprising 90% of waste discarded as trash. The study highlights that economic incentives and collective action are the strongest drivers of behaviour, while a lack of knowledge on composting and perceived futility when municipal collectors mix waste act as barriers. The authors recommend prioritising organic waste management, integrating informal waste workers into formal systems, and implementing Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) to address economic barriers to recycling.

• There is a substantial gap in waste management practices in Bangkok, with approximately 75% of all household waste types being discarded as trash rather than being separated, recycled, or reused.
• Organic waste represents the largest portion of household waste by weight (83%) and the vast majority of waste thrown away as trash (90%), yet composting is hindered by a lack of financial incentives, storage facilities, and knowledge.
• A 'value-action gap' exists where a high percentage of households express support for waste sorting—92% agree it should be done by everyone and 72% claim to do it 'every time' or 'mostly'—which contradicts the actual high volume of waste thrown away as trash.
• Economic motivation is a primary driver for waste separation, particularly for lower-income households who earn supplementary income by selling recyclables to informal collectors known as saleng.
• Collective action serves as both a motivator and a deterrent; while the feeling of working together is positive, households feel discouraged when they perceive municipal garbage collectors mixing previously separated waste.
• While 60% of respondents feel they have sufficient knowledge on waste separation and reduction, there are significant knowledge gaps regarding how to reuse materials (49%) and how to compost organic waste (43%).
• The informal waste sector is critical to Thailand's recycling efforts, with estimates suggesting approximately 1.5 million informal waste workers are responsible for about 75% of the country's recycling.

APA

Pottinger-Glass, C., Vanhuyse, F., Asvanon, R., & Archer, D. (2022). Household waste and the circular economy in Bangkok. Stockholm Environment Institute. https://www.sei.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/household-waste-bangkok-sei2022.051.pdf

Chicago

Pottinger-Glass, Chloe, Fedra Vanhuyse, Raja Asvanon, and Diane Archer. Household waste and the circular economy in Bangkok. Stockholm Environment Institute, 2022. https://www.sei.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/household-waste-bangkok-sei2022.051.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Pottinger-Glass |first1=Chloe |last2=Vanhuyse |first2=Fedra |last3=Asvanon |first3=Raja |last4=Archer |first4=Diane |title=Household waste and the circular economy in Bangkok |publisher=Stockholm Environment Institute |date=December 2022 |url=https://www.sei.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/household-waste-bangkok-sei2022.051.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{pottingerglass2022household, author = {Pottinger-Glass, Chloe and Vanhuyse, Fedra and Asvanon, Raja and Archer, Diane}, title = {{Household waste and the circular economy in Bangkok}}, institution = {Stockholm Environment Institute}, year = {2022}, month = dec, url = {https://www.sei.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/household-waste-bangkok-sei2022.051.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }