Although a law has been passed giving local authorities licence to increase monthly garbage collection fees to a maximum of 350bht per household, the new charges have not been implemented yet.
The Bangkok Metropolitan Authority and other municipalities have said they needed time to study the issue before they could implement the new payment plan, which increases rubbish collection fees from the current Bt20 a month per household for up to 20 litres of trash per day.
Thailand has been struggling to manage 23 million tonnes of garbage a year and has invested tens of billions of baht in garbage management. Bangkok alone produces 10,000 tonnes of garbage a day.
Bangkok Council said that after the Royal Gazette published the Maintaining Town Cleanliness and Tidiness Act 2017 on January 15, an adjustment had been proposed that included a fee hike. However, the council said, it would take some time for councillors to mull over the proposal and the matter would be tabled at the Council’s meeting in March.
To implement the new law, the city must issue a regulation for its implementation in Bangkok, and the new rate would not be enforced until that happened.
The Bt350 monthly fee per household is high so the city will study the new law’s details first to clarify the implement method and to minimise the impact on people.
The city’s current collection fee brings in about Bt500 million a year to city coffers, although the city actually pays about Bt6.5 billion to manage and dispose of garbage.
If the city could collect the higher rate, it could help to lessen the loss it is shouldering.
According to the new law, every household in Thailand will have to pay a garbage collection fee of approximately Bt150 per month plus another monthly fee at Bt200 for garbage disposal.
The proposal also provides criteria on the methods to separate, store, transport and dispose of trash. It also stipulates a service fee rate and allows local bodies to make use of the collected garbage.
The new law also provides for a punishment of up to six months in jail and/or a Bt50,000 fine for those operating garbage disposal businesses without permission.
The penalty also covers those who fail to adhere local regulations and people who are assigned to collect, transport and dispose of rubbish but fail to adhere to regulations.
(Source: The Nation,Thailand)