Household waste and the circular economy in Bangkok

This report analyzes household waste practices in Bangkok, finding that 75% of waste is thrown out as trash despite high reported attitudes in favor of sorting. Organic waste is the largest component (83% of total weight) and the most difficult to manage. The study highlights the critical role of informal waste workers and economic incentives in driving recycling, while recommending that the Bangkok Metropolitan Authority prioritize organic waste and integrate informal workers into holistic waste management models.

• There is a significant gap in household waste management in Bangkok, with approximately 75% of all types of household waste being disposed of as trash rather than being separated, recycled, or reused.
• Organic waste represents the largest portion of household waste by weight, accounting for 83% of total waste generated and 90% of waste thrown out as trash. Barriers to composting include a lack of financial incentives, appropriate storage facilities, and knowledge.
• A 'value-action gap' exists where household attitudes do not match actual behavior; while 92% of respondents agree that waste sorting should be done by everyone and 72% claim to separate waste 'every time' or 'mostly', a large volume of waste is still discarded as trash.
• Economic motivation is a primary driver for waste separation, as many households earn supplementary income by selling recyclables to informal collectors (saleng). Conversely, the strongest reason given for not separating waste was a lack of time.
• Collective action serves as both a motivator and a deterrent; households are encouraged when stakeholders work together but feel discouraged when they perceive municipal collectors mixing previously separated waste.
• Informal waste workers (IWW) are critical to Thailand's recycling system, with estimates suggesting around 1.5 million IWW are responsible for approximately 75% of the country's recycling.
• The Bangkok Metropolitan Authority (BMA) is piloting three zero-waste districts under the 'mix no more' campaign, where the BMA collects organic waste for composting and saleng collect recyclables.

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} }