IN THE face of complaints, operators of Bangkok’s first waste-to-energy power plant have insisted the facility and operations are environmentally friendly.

Environmentalists have raised concerns about the plant’s waste-disposal procedures, which they said would cause massive pollution, while residents in the area have complained about unidentified malodorous air pollution at night.

Ning He, chief executive officer of C&G Environmental Protection Ltd, said that the plant in Nong Khaem district had the latest technology to produce power from waste with the smallest pollution emissions.

He said garbage sent to the plant was fermented for a few days to reduce the moisture to less than 35 per cent and then the fermented garbage was roasted to further decrease the moisture to 10 per cent before incineration. The garbage is incinerated at temperatures between 800 and 1,000 degree Celsius.

“With our technology, we can ensure that there is complete burning in our waste disposal and electricity generation process and there is a proper pollution detection system that can ensure that the qualities of air, water and noise do not exceed the safe limits,” he said.

This plant, which has operated since May 2016, has a capacity to burn 300 to 500 tonnes of garbage per day to produce electricity up to 9.8 megawatts. The company has a 20-year concession from the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) to burn the city’s waste. It is the third plant of its kind in Thailand after those in Hat Yai and Phuket.

Ning said waste disposal by burning resulting in power generation was the best way to manage the large amount of garbage produced by Bangkok, which generates 8,700 tonnes of trash per day. However, he said that the lack of proper waste separation was still a problem and all kinds of materials were burned, including hazardous waste.

“Everything from the domestic trash bin ends up here. However, before the trash is sent to our facility, the binmen will segregate and collect the glass, plastic that can be sold and hazardous waste,” he said.

“Nevertheless, not all hazardous waste is kept out of the garbage that will be burnt in our power plant.”

He added that materials such as ash from the incineration and leachate water that percolates through the mix were properly treated to avoid environmental contamination. “We have a zero-pollution emission policy. The leachate will be treated and reused within the facility, while the ash will be land-filled in a licensed landfill,” he said.

“However, to reduce the operation costs and generate more income, we are planning to open a brick factory from garbage ash next year, which could be used in construction and as an artificial reef to prevent coastal erosion.”

Penchom Saetang, director of Ecological Alert and Recovery (Thailand), said that the improper separation of waste before burning would generate severe pollution and decrease the efficiency of the plant.

“We have observed the waste-to-energy power plants in Phuket and Hat Yai and found that they all have a similar problem … and it has caused serious environmental problems in the area,” Penchom said.

“The plastic and hazardous waste must be removed from the garbage that will be burnt and the temperature of burning should be higher than 1,000C or dioxin, which can cause cancer and other health problems, will not be properly eliminated.”

She said the plan to use the plant’s ash for brick-making was a problem as ash from garbage was highly contaminated with dioxin and there was no clear research about the health implications of using a product made from garbage ash.

Local people in the area near the power plant stated have complained about a strong malodorous smog emanating from the plant at night. One of the residents, Tanakorn Vichudakornkul, said he and his mother usually detected a foul odour and smog coming from the direction of the plant after midnight.

“We have to close all windows at night and use the air conditioner. I don’t really know where this smog is coming from, but we don’t like it,” Tanakorn said.