Case Study
Koh Tao, Ko Muk, & Ko Libong, Thailand
- Activities Undertaken:
Refuse, Reduce, Recycle, Responsible Disposal - Initiator: WWF-Thailand
- Year: 2022 onwards
Key Takeaways
- The infrastructure for segregation, collection and transportation is fundamental for meeting the demands of waste management in contexts with significant waste quantities, but maintaining waste segregation and collection systems is challenging.
- Municipal budget allocation for waste management is typically insufficient. However, waste management financing could explore large influxes of visiting tourists as potential sources of financing.
Situation
- Projects in Koh Tao, Ko Muk and Ko Libong are in the initial implementation phases, focused on baseline assessments of plastic consumption and waste management practices. Stakeholders, including local governments, communities and businesses, have been engaged to determine gaps in infrastructure.
- Koh Tao is a major tourist destination, but it lacks recycling facilities, has only one landfill of inadequate size, relies on five informal dumpsites, and has not had functional incinerators for at least ten years.
- Ko Muk has two junk shops and one organization engaged in fishing net collection. Ko Libong has one junk shop, which is reportedly more proactive than those in Ko Muk. Ko Muk transports waste three times a month to the mainland, depending on the volume of waste.
- Locations lack trash trucks or proper landfill management.
Complications
- Lack of infrastructure in Koh Tao: Many enterprises have adopted reusable alternatives, but not systematically. Budget allocation for municipal waste management is based on official population counts, which do not capture the number of tourists or their heightened waste production. Official government approvals for waste transportation are still pending. Limited waste management infrastructure, unmanaged landfills and financial constraints persist. There is a language barrier between waste collectors and the general population, as much of the waste collector population comprises the immigrant community from Myanmar.
- Administration in Ko Muk & Ko Libong: Sub-district administration complicates enforcement, and waste transport to the mainland remains infrequent.
- General logistical issues: Inefficient waste collection, a lack of waste segregation at source, a weak recycling system and stakeholder reluctance to adopt reusable alternatives pose logistical and resource challenges.
Resolution
- Programmes educate communities and businesses on waste segregation at the source.
- Waste collection system improvements are underway, such as providing additional trash trucks and guiding more robust landfill management.
- Capacity-building initiatives are conducted for local staff, workers and government officials.
- Promoting financial incentives, such as recovery bonds, increases the attractiveness of recycling efforts.
- Engaging schools fosters long-term behavioural changes.
- Strengthening local government engagement improves commitment to sustainable waste management practices.
Impact
- Community waste sorting: Enhanced waste segregation and recycling practices are underway at the community and business levels.
- Improved waste capture: Enhanced landfill and collection systems enable environmental leakage prevention.
- Growth in recycling: Increased financial viability encourages recycling for local communities.
- Education driving behaviour change: Long-term behavioural changes are driven by school educational programmes.
- Reaching remote areas: Progress has been made in building a framework for better enforcement and infrastructure development in remote areas.
The data for this case study is dated to Feb 2025. For more updated progress made in Koh Tao and other islands, please visit plasticsmartcities.org
Governance & Policy
- Sub-district administrations in Ko Muk and Ko Libong complicate enforcement, as they lack direct municipal governance.
- Jurisdictional challenges weaken policy enforcement in remote and decentralized areas.
- Delays exist in receiving government approval for initiatives like waste transport to mainland facilities.
- Low community engagement in waste segregation exists, particularly among households and migrant workers.
- Some local authorities, such as in Koh Tao, are motivated to pursue greener island initiatives.
- Stakeholders, including communities and businesses, show interest in tackling waste management issues.
Capacity, Capability, and Technology
- Lack of functioning incinerators and landfill management infrastructure in Koh Tao.
- The number of trash trucks for waste collection is insufficient across all islands.
- Local workers and sub-district administrators have limited technical capacity to implement advanced waste management practices.
- Local stakeholders express interest in capacity-building initiatives and waste management training.
- Koh Tao’s tourism sector and businesses, particularly dive shops, have adopted waste separation practices.
Funding, Financing, and Access to Market
- Budget allocations are based on underestimated official population counts (Koh Tao), limiting available funding.
- Dependence on transporting recyclables to larger islands increases costs due to a lack of local recycling infrastructure.
- Junk shops in Ko Muk and Ko Libong provide basic recycling pathways.
- A proposed recovery bond system is recommended to incentivize more robust waste segregation and recycling.
Cross-Sectoral Collaboration & Other Value Chain Enabling Activities
- Despite awareness campaigns, tourists in Koh Tao exhibit behavioural resistance.
- The implementation of segregation bins is ineffective due to perceived inconvenience and inconsistent local collection and processing infrastructure.
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- Schools are identified as critical platforms for promoting environmental awareness and fostering long-term behavioural change.
- Clean-up efforts and net collection initiatives contribute to reducing waste leakage.
