Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Assessment of urban product consumption and relevant waste management

  • ORIGINAL ARTICLE
  • Published:
Journal of Material Cycles and Waste Management Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

The consumption inefficiency (CI) index of Bangkok of major product groups (food, plastic, paper, textile, and glass) was annually determined from 1994 to 2018. The CI index ranges from 0 to 1; the higher the index, the lower the consumption efficiency. The results showed that Bangkok had low consumption efficiency with mean CI indices of 0.8 for plastic, 0.7 for glass, and 0.5 for paper product groups. Bangkok had lower mean CI indices of 0.2 for textile and 0.4 for food products. These findings revealed that the high consumption of Bangkokians of plastic, glass, and paper products and inefficient waste sorting (for reuse and/or recycling) before disposal were the co-factors affecting the consumption efficiency of Bangkok. To increase the city’s consumption efficiency, minimization of product consumption and waste for disposal should be considered simultaneously with the improvement of relevant practices and regulations on waste minimization.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. United Nations (2011) The 2011 revision and world urbanization prospects population. Division of the Department of Economic and Social Affairs of the United Nations Secretariat

  2. Hall P (1998) Cities in civilization. Pantheon Books, New York

    Google Scholar 

  3. Newman PWG (1999) Sustainability and cities: extending the metabolism model. Land Use Urban Plan 44:219–226

    Article  Google Scholar 

  4. Kumar S, Bhattacharyya JK, Vaidya AN, Chakrabarti T, Devotta S, Akolkar AB (2009) Assessment of the status of municipal solid waste management in metro cities, state capitals, class I cities, and class II towns in India: an insight. Waste Manag 29:883–895

    Article  Google Scholar 

  5. Browne D, O’Regan B, Moles R (2009) Assessment of total urban metabolism and metabolic inefficiency in an Irish city-region. Waste Manag 29:2765–2771. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.wasman.2009.05.008

    Article  Google Scholar 

  6. Krongkaew M (1996) The changing urban system in a fast-growing city and economy: The case of Bangkok and Thailand. In: Lo F-C, Yrunh, Y-M (eds) Emerging world cities in Pacific Asia. United Nations University Press, Tokyo. https://archive.unu.edu/unupress/unupbooks/uu11ee/uu11ee00.htm#Contents. Accessed 10 Dec 2018

  7. Sukholthaman P, Sharp A (2016) A system dynamics model to evaluate effects of source separation of municipal solid waste management: a case of Bangkok, Thailand. Waste Manag 52:50–61

    Article  Google Scholar 

  8. ADB (2014) Urban metabolism of six Asian cities. Asian Development Bank, Philippines

    Google Scholar 

  9. PCD (2019) Booklet on Thailand state of pollution 2018. Pollution Control Department, Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, Bangkok

    Google Scholar 

  10. Rosado L, Kalmykova Y, Patrício J (2016) Urban metabolism profiles: An empirical analysis of the material flow characteristics of three metropolitan areas in Sweden. J Clean Prod 126:206–217

    Article  Google Scholar 

  11. WBCSD (2000) Eco-efficiency: creating more value with less impact. World Business Council for Sustainable Development. https://www.ceads.org.ar/downloads/Ecoeficiencia.%20Creating%20more%20value%20with%20less%20impact.pdf. Accessed 10 Sept 2018

  12. Huppes G, Ishikawa M (2005) Eco-efficiency and its terminology. J Ind Ecol 9:43–46

    Article  Google Scholar 

  13. Huang J, Xia J, Yu Y, Zhang N (2018) Composite eco-efficiency indicators for China based on data envelopment analysis. Ecol Ind 85:674–697. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolind.2017.10.040

    Article  Google Scholar 

  14. Chiu C-R, Liou J-L, Wu P-I, Fang C-L (2012) Decomposition of the environmental inefficiency of the meta-frontier with undesirable output. Energy Econ 34:1392–1399. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eneco.2012.06.003

    Article  Google Scholar 

  15. Zhang J, Zeng W, Shi H (2016) Regional environmental efficiency in China: analysis based on a regional slack-based measure with environmental undesirable outputs. Ecol Ind 71:218–228. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolind.2016.04.040

    Article  Google Scholar 

  16. BMA GIS Center (2016) Shapefiles. https://www.bangkokgis.com/modules.php?m=download_shapefile#map. Accessed 15 Dec 2018

  17. UN-HABITAT (2010) The State of Asian Cities 2010/11. United Nations-ESCAP. https://www.unescap.org/sites/default/files/SoACR.pdf. Accessed 27 Dec 2016

  18. BMA Department of Environment (2019) Solid waste statistics: 2016–2019 (in Thai). https://www.bangkok.go.th/environmentbma/page/sub/7405. Accessed 14 Sept 2009

  19. BMA Department of Environment (2006) Solid waste, hazardous waste, and nightsoil management division: table 4.3. Physical and chemical characteristics of wastes during fiscal year 1994–2005. https://203.155.220.174/pdf/shwasteandnightsoildiv.pdf. Accessed 3 Mar 2019

  20. BMA Department of Environment (2014) Bangkok State of Environment 2012 (Revised edition). https://203.155.220.174/pdf/BangkokStateOfEnvironment2012RevisedEdition.pdf. Accessed 27 Dec 2016

  21. NIDA (2000) The research project on non-registered population in Bangkok Metropolis (in Thai). National Institute of Development Administration, Bangkok

    Google Scholar 

  22. DOPA (2019). Number of population by age (in Thai). https://stat.bora.dopa.go.th/new_stat/webPage/statByAge.php. Accessed 14 Sept 2019

  23. TAT (1998) Internal tourism statistics 1997: central (in Thai). Tourism Authority of Thailand, Bangkok

    Google Scholar 

  24. TAT (2003) Internal tourism statistics 2002: central (in Thai). Tourism Authority of Thailand, Bangkok

    Google Scholar 

  25. TAT (2008) Internal tourism statistics 2007: central (in Thai). Tourism Authority of Thailand, Bangkok

    Google Scholar 

  26. DOT (2019) Tourist statistics (in Thai). Department of Tourism. https://www.mots.go.th/more_news.php?cid=411. Accessed 14 Sept 2019

  27. PCD (2004) The analysis and survey project of solid waste composition in municipalities across Thailand (in Thai). Pollution Control Department, Bangkok

    Google Scholar 

  28. Sirichai C (1991) Glass industry of Thailand (in Thai). Economics 23:10–20

    Google Scholar 

  29. DIP (1999) Situation of glass bottle industry (in Thai). Department of Industrial Promotion. https://library.dip.go.th/multim/edoc/05080.pdf. Accessed 15 Dec 2018

  30. OIE (2019) Industrial statistics (in Thai). Office of Industrial Economics https://www.oie.go.th/academic/statistics. Accessed 14 Sept 2019

  31. TTI (1999) Thai textile statistics 1998. Thailand Textile Institute. https://library.dip.go.th/multim6/ebook/A%20%E0%B8%81%E0%B8%AA%E0%B8%AD14%20%E0%B8%AA1%202541.pdf. Accessed 2 Dec 2018

  32. TTI (2003) Thai textile statistics 2002. Thailand Textile Institute. https://library.dip.go.th/multim1/ebook/A%20%E0%B8%81%E0%B8%AA%E0%B8%AD14%20%E0%B8%AA1%202545.pdf. Accessed 2 Dec 2018

  33. TTI (2008) Thai textile statistics 2007/2008. Thailand Textile Institute. Available at https://library.dip.go.th/multim6/ebook/2552/A%20%E0%B8%81%E0%B8%AA%E0%B8%AD14%20%E0%B8%AA1%202550-2551.pdf. Accessed 2 Dec 2018

  34. TTI (2012) Thai textile statistics 2011/2012. Thailand Textile Institute. https://library.dip.go.th/multim6/ebook/2556/A%20%E0%B8%81%E0%B8%AA%E0%B8%AD14%20%E0%B8%AA1%202554-2555.pdf. Accessed 2 Dec 2018

  35. Thai Center for Development Foundation (2013) Do you know how much paper we use each year? (in Thai). https://www.thaihealth.or.th/Content/20091-รู้หรือไม่%20เราใช้กระดาษปีละเท่าไร.html. Accessed 14 Sept 2019

  36. PIT (2015) Thailand plastics waste: current situation, policy, and idea model for solution. Plastics Institute of Thailand. https://www.mpma.org.my/Documents/Plastics%20Waste%20-%20Current%20Situation,%20Policy%20and%20Idea%20Model%20for%20Solution_Kongsak%20Dokbua.pdf. Accessed 2 Dec 2018

  37. United Nations (2008) International standard industrial classification of all economic activities (ISIC), Rev. 4. New York: United Nations, pp 1–306

  38. Department of Health (2006) The 5th food and nutrition survey report of Thailand in 2003 (in Thai). Ministry of Public Health, Bangkok

    Google Scholar 

  39. Farrant L, Olsen SI, Wangel A (2010) Environmental benefits from reusing clothes. Int J Life Cycle Assess 15:726–736

    Article  Google Scholar 

  40. Sukholthaman P (2012) Bangkok recycling program: an empirical study of an incentive-based recycling program. ScholarlyCommons. https://repository.upenn.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1064&context=mes_capstones. Accessed 10 Dec 2018

  41. Wichai-utcha N, Chavalparit O (2019) 3Rs Policy and plastic waste management in Thailand. J Mater Cycles Waste Manag 21:10–22. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10163-018-0781-y

    Article  Google Scholar 

  42. BMA Department of Environment (2012) Prototype of waste and domestic wastewater management by communities (in Thai). https://203.155.220.174/pdf/BKKcommunityMSW.pdf. Accessed 31 Dec 2018

  43. Chakraborty LB, Sahakian M, Rani U, Shenoy M, Erkman S (2016) Urban food consumption in metro manila: interdisciplinary approaches towards apprehending practices, patterns, and impacts. J Ind Ecol 20:559–570

    Article  Google Scholar 

  44. TEI (2015) Livable city decoding (in Thai). Thailand Environment Institute Foundation, Bangkok

    Google Scholar 

  45. BMA (2007) Action Plan on Global Warming Mitigation 2007–2012. Bangkok Metropolitan Administration, Bangkok

    Google Scholar 

  46. PIT (2013) Thailand's current situation of the recycling industry (in Thai). Plast Foresight 09–02:17–20

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

I thank Dolina Millar for proofreading the manuscript and Thai organizations (Bangkok Metropolitan Administration, Department of Provincial Administration, Office of Industrial Economics, Plastics Institute of Thailand, and Thailand Textile Institute) for providing the relevant data. This work was supported by the Korea Foundation for Advanced Studies’ Asia Research Center of Chulalongkorn University (Contract No. 001/2558).

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Environment and Resource Studies, Mahidol University, 999 Moo 5, Sai 4 Phuttamonthon Road, Salaya, Phuttamonthon, 73170, Nakhon Pathom, Thailand

    Nuanchan Singkran

Authors
  1. Nuanchan Singkran
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Nuanchan Singkran.

Ethics declarations

Conflict of interest

No competing interest was reported by the author.

Additional information

Publisher's Note

Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Electronic supplementary material

Below is the link to the electronic supplementary material.

Supplementary file1 (PDF 456 kb)

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Singkran, N. Assessment of urban product consumption and relevant waste management. J Mater Cycles Waste Manag 22, 1019–1026 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10163-020-00992-w

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10163-020-00992-w

Keywords

Search

Navigation