The Thai island of Phuket has an overdevelopment problem that has resulted in a pile of garbage so large that locals can no longer leave their homes without a mask.
With a tropical monsoon climate and once-pristine beaches, the island province became synonymous with adventurous backpacking holidays after the publication of the 1996 book The Beach, by Alex Garland, later released as a film starring Leonardo DiCaprio. The novel did not ignore some of the sleazier aspects of Thai resort life but the 13 million tourists who now arrive there yearly, making up 37% of Thailand’s foreign arrivals might not be ready for the latest result of the rapid development that has taken place.
Over 1,000 tonnes of rubbish a day
In just a few months, according to Reuters, a landfill rubbish dump on the island has grown so large that it is threatening to overwhelm the area with its sheer volume and odour. It has been growing at an alarming pace. Around 742 tonnes of garbage were collected in 2022 and 961 tonnes in 2023, figures from the provincial statistics office and the Pollution Control Department show. That has now increased to more than 1,000 tonnes of rubbish collected every day and this could reach 1,400 by the end of 2025, authorities say. With only one 900-tonne-capacity incinerator available, the rest goes to landfill.
The growth of (Phuket) city has been much more rapid than it should be.
Suppachoke Laongphet, deputy mayor of the island’s main municipality
A new hill – of rubbish
In fact, the island, whose name stems from the Malay word bukit which means hill, now has a mound of garbage so vast that it is blocking the view of the local mountain and giving the resort a new, stinkier namesake.
“There is no life outside the house, (we) just stay at home,” local resident Vassana Toyou, told reporters. “The smell is very strong, you have to wear a mask.”
As images of plastic bottles and empty beer cans spilling onto the sea floor circulate in international news outlets, local authorities are attempting to address the problem with a plan to slash waste by 15% over six months and to build a new incinerator.
But that will not be enough to solve the issue, experts argue. Authorities acknowledge that just 10% of the trash in Phuket is recycled and 60% is organic waste. This needs addressing, says Panate Manomaivibool, an assistant professor in waste management at Burapha University. “If you just keep expanding more waste incinerators, I don’t think that would be just the solution,” he said. “They need to focus on waste reduction and separation.”
If they do not succeed, it may be a tourist reduction that is witnessed instead.