Rayong—
On October 19th, 2023, Mr. Niphon Wongsri, the Vice President of Ban Khao Bot Community, Pollution Control Department officials, and other relevant agencies performed a field inspection at the Rayong Waste Management Center in Mueang Rayong.
The Ban Khao Bot locals had previously filed a formal legal complaint against the Waste Management Center alleging that it was the source of a poor smell and had released wastewater into the community.
Niphon publicly stated that the smell was very strong particularly when it rained which caused the locals to be unable to live normally. In the beginning, the smell was subtle but currently, it has been an issue for locals for more than 10 years of suffering and the smell could affect as far away as 10 kilometers in distance.
Mr. Piya Pitutecha, the Mayor of Mueang Rayong, gave an apology to the community that was affected by the Rayong Waste Management Center. After an investigation into the source of the problem, relevant agencies found that garbage was transported to the Rayong Waste Management Center from the Map Ta Phut Municipality at a total of more than 100,000 tons.
Piya publicly admitted that the Rayong Waste Management Center was currently full at capacity and may have resulted in garbage overflowing into the city. The main Waste Management Center could not bear any incoming garbage for the moment.
However, initially, Piya pledged to urgently solve the problem by landfilling the old waste and covering it with an insulator. As a long-term management solution, the Rayong Provincial Administrative Organization would expand another garbage pit which was currently in the process of approval from the Ministry of Energy accordingly.
