As an international tourist destination, Phuket currently attracts around two million visitors each year who contribute nearly 120 tons of solid waste each day. The Thai government, in violation of several environmental laws, operates a massive waste incinerator to treat this waste. No alternative or recycling system has ever been discussed. In an effort to evaluate and highlight the potential effects of waste incineration residues coming from this waste disposal site, Ecological Alert and Recovery Thailand (EARTH) conducted an extensive sampling- specifically focusing on POPs- of biota surrounding the incinerators. With these results in hand, EARTH is pushing for the Thai government to pay greater attention to this issue and implement appropriate waste provisions.
