Determination of leakage and fates of macro-and micro-plastics from solid waste management chain : a case study of Thaklong Municipality, Pathumthani Province, Thailand | |
| Author | Khin San Hlaing |
| Call Number | AIT Thesis no.EV-22-20 |
| Subject(s) | Microplastics--Case studies Solid waste management--Thailand--Pathumthani |
| Note | A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in Environmental Engineering and Management |
| Publisher | Asian Institute of Technology |
| Abstract | Plastic waste enters the environment mostly through mismanagement practices like as open burning, land-based open dumping, and waterway disposal. Inefficient solid waste management practices worsen the situation of plastic waste entering the natural environment, especially the aquatic environment. As a result, plastics in the aquatic environment degrade into a multitude of microplastics, negatively impacting aquatic life. This study aims to determine the leakage and fates of plastic from the municipal solid waste management (MSWM) system in Thaklong municipality, Klong Laung district, Pathum Thani province, Thailand with microplastics investigation in the nearby water systems (canals). The assessment of MSW generation, composition, and waste flow within the MSWM system using the Waste Wise Cities Tool (WaCT) method was needed to get the required MSWM data for the determination of leakage and fates of plastic from the MSWM system using the Waste Flow Diagram (WFD) method. In Thaklong, MSW generation was 130 tons/day and 1.59 kg/capita/day. The biggest percentage of the total MSW, or around 64 percent, was organic waste and the second biggest component is plastic about 18 %. The total waste collected is about 91 % with a higher MSW recovery amount about 83 % than the disposal amount about 8 %. The results of plastic leakage and the assessment of their fate using WFD demonstrated that plastics leak from the MSWM system. The results showed that unmanaged plastic waste was 926 tons/year, about 11 % of plastic waste generation, contributed about 90.67 % from uncollected waste, 9.04 % from collection services, 0.01% from the informal value-chain collection, and 0.14 % from formal sorting with no contribution from informal sorting and transportation. Moreover, the fates of plastic leakage can be seen as the largest amount of unmanaged plastic waste about 55% retained on land, about 31% of plastic leaks into the water systems while some were openly burned about 13% and accumulated in drains about 1%. In the investigation of microplastic pollution in the nearby water systems (canals), according to overall microplastic concentrations, Klong Nueng with 51.12 ± 19.21 particle/m3 was more polluted with microplastics than Klong Song with 44.65 ± 14.01 particle/m3 . In both canals, some sampling points near the populated area and the areas where the canal surface water was polluted with litter were found more microplastics than others. Plastic leakage from the MSWM system in conjunction with microplastic pollution in the water systems can be seen in this study. |
| Year | 2022 |
| Type | Thesis |
| School | School of Environment, Resources, and Development (SERD) |
| Department | Department of Energy and Climate Change (Former title: Department of Energy, Environment, and Climate Change (DEECC)) |
| Academic Program/FoS | Environmental Engineering and Management (EV) |
| Chairperson(s) | Thammarat Koottatep |
| Examination Committee(s) | Visvanathan, Chettiyappan;Karstensen, Kare Helge |
| Scholarship Donor(s) | Environmental Conservation Department (ECD), Myanmar;Asian Institute of Technology Scholarships |
| Degree | Thesis (M. Sc.) - Asian Institute of Technology, 2022 |