| Abstract | Managing hazardous industrial wastes (HIW) is an increasingly important
environmental issue throughout the world. This is true not only for the industrialized
cow1tries, but also for the developing countries. As nations increase their industrial base,
HIW as by-products of economic activity grow. Managing HIW in a safe manner requires a
holistic approach considering comprehensively all alternatives available to institute a 'cradleto-grave' management system. Although there is a large and diverse array of literature
available on the management of HIW, most of them deal with the technical aspects of
managing HIW. The literature on management measures (i.e. laws, regulations, monitoring,
incentives, education, promotion and financial aspects), as part of an effective HIW
management strategy, is rather limited. Neither the existing nor the emerging literature on
HIW management adequately reflects the realization that these management measures are
important factors influencing HIW generators' decision whether. or not to adopt and
implement safe HIW management. One task of the present study is, therefore, to demonstrate
the importance of management measures in dealing with HIW by reviewing the experience of
HIW management in some coWltries. In order to find effective measures for ensuring safe
HIW management, this study selected the Bang Khuntien HIW treatment facility in Bangkok,
Thailand as a case study. Factory producing HIW in the Bangkok region were studied to
identify factors influencing their decision on making use or not making use of the treatment
facility. Finally, this study evaluates the prevailing HIW management measures in Thailand
in order to propose a package of measures for improving the HIW management.
The regulat01y, economic, and suasive measures essentially constitute the analytical
basis for this study. The study reviews the experiences and lessons in HIW management of
the four countries (Hong Kong, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Singapore). This review clearly
suggests that effective HIW management relies upon a combination of actions and measures.
Impo1iance of both technical and regulatory measures can hardly be overstated in HIW
management since HIW is a special category of wastes with serious health hazards. It
requires stringent government regulations and safeguards (e.g. strict discharge standards).
Economic and financial measures are also needed as mechanisms for financing the
implementation and enforcement of these regulations and for generating appropriate doses of
incentive and disincentive signals pertaining to all phases of HIW management.
Historically, the regulatory/command and control (CAC) measures have dominated
the scene in pollution control and waste management worldwide. Governn1ents have largely
used regulatory measures in the form of direct regulation such as bans, setting of standards,
etc. This approach has been criticized for not achieving some of the legislative objectives,
and for being economically inefficient and difficult to enforce. In recent days, economic
measures have been receiving greater attention on the ground that they provide cost-effective
means, flexibility, and revenue for governments. This study argues that for managing HIW
effectively regulatory measures are of central importance.
11 By using a 96 factory research sample ( 44 user and 52 non-user factories drawn from
130 HIW factories in the Bangkok region, Thailand) of a central HIW treatment facility
(Bang Khuntien) this study has investigated the factory characteristics and decision-making
influences, which reveal a distinct pattern among the studied factories in their use or non use
of the treatment facility. The majority of the non-users are: (i) small- and medium-scale
factories, (ii) small generators of HIW, (iii) non BOI concession recipients, and (iv) located
far away from the facility. The main reasons for not making use of the facility include: (i)
high costs of using the facility, (ii) not having much HIW, (iii) not sure about the facility's
capacity, and (iv) reliance on other private contractors. The results from a multiple regression
analysis show that the factory decision on usage of the central HIW facility is positively
influenced by its s;ze, amount of HIW generated, knowledge of the facility, pressure from
regulators, employees' welfare considerations, and community's welfare cons;deration but is
negatively influenced by distance from the treatment facility and costs of using the treatment
facility. Among these significant variables, the very knowledge of existence of the facility has
the strongest effect on the factory decision (the coefficient value being 0.6168). Other
variables which also have the strong effects are: costs of using the facility (-0.5260), pressure
from the regulators (0.3506), and commw1ity's welfare considerations (0.2548). These
findings thus confirm the potency of management measures in influencing factory decision
on way to manage their HIW.
The study used jive criteria (clarity, ease of enforcement, consistency with other
pollution control program, incent;ves for improvement, concordance with the polluter-paysprinciple) for assessing the regulat01y, economic, and suasive measures currently used for
HIW management in Thailand. The results of the study show that some regulatory measures
are not clear enough to ensure safe HIW management. Identification and classification of
HIW generators, transporters, and operators of HIW treatment and disposal facilities are also
only partial and incomplete. Standards for the proper HIW storage and transportation are not
clearly stated either. Permit, licensing, and monitoring systems for parties involving in HIW
management are in concordance with the polluter-pays-principle, but, they are not in
consistence with other pollution control programs and do not provide incentives for
improvement. Liability of HIW generators in case of non-compliance is briefly stated with no
clear definite responsibility and legal liability. It is also found that penalty provisions on
improper management of HIW are not geared for easy enforcement.
In the case of economic measures, the study found that the compatibility of user
charge system with the polluter-pays-principle is quite good: those who produce a large
amount of HIW and produce HIW having high toxicity characteristics pay higher charges
than those who produce less HIW. Tax exemptions and subsidies are also easy for
enforcement and provide good incentives for improvement ofHIW management.
Suasive measures are not adequate for ensuring safe HIW management. There are no
program of information dissemination even on the existence of the central HIW treatment and
disposal facilities and the environmentally sound technologies for safe HIW management.
Moreover, there is no program in the Thai tertiary education system that provides an in-depth
curriculum on HIW management.
lll The study recommends that the use of regulatory measures for managing HIW in
Thailand has to be amended for ensuring an adequate 'command and control' system for
HIW from 'cradle-to-grave', i.e. to influence the behavior of all those involved in the
generation, transportation, treatment, recycling/recove1y and disposal of HIW. Generators of
HIW need to be distinguished according to the quantity of the wastes they produce. Definite
types of containers for HIW storage need to be clearly stated. A manifest system for
controlling the transportation of HIW need to be established. Existing procedures requiring
repo1iing of HIW generated, transported, stored, treated, and disposed of need to be modified.
All new HIW factories should be located in the designated areas (e.g. industrial estates).
Factories which cannot afford to safely treat and dispose of HIW should not be permitted to
_operate. The scope of applying the economic and suasive measures to complement the strong
regulatory measures are also specified, e.g. performance bonds, tax reduction, and
environmental funds for factories managing the HIW in a proper manner. Similarly, on the
suasive measures front, this study finds a strong case for dissemination of information to the
HIW factories, particularly the small-scale ones. Information on existence of central HIW
treatment and disposal facilities and the teclmology for safe HIW management need to be
disseminated. Finally, the government's extensive support to research and training programs
is seen as crucial for increasing the teclmical and professional capabilities in safe HIW
management. |