Bangkok Governor Chadchart Sittipunt has ordered twice weekly garbage collection even in the city’s suburbs and said this can be done without increasing staff or the budget.

Chadchart said more people have moved to the suburbs and as a result districts like Khlong Sam Wa and Sai Mai have seen their populations rise to about 200,000 people each. As a result, more garbage collection rounds are required in these areas.

The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) rents garbage trucks for 16 hours per day but only uses them for seven to eight hours a day due to staff shortages, Chadchart said.

“We urged officials to adjust their schedule and collection routes to ensure that garbage in all neighbourhoods is collected at least twice every week,” he said.

Chadchart added that the city had looked into the possibility of outsourcing more personnel to help with garbage collection, but due to its limited budget, each district has been told to make do with their existing personnel.

Chadchart said that garbage trucks are allowed to stop to separate their waste before heading to landfills, as long as the stop does not affect the collection schedule. “Using GPS, district chiefs must monitor the route and schedule of rented trucks to ensure that they are fully utilised,” he said.

“I believe that in the long term, garbage in the city will be reduced due to waste separation and zero waste projects. The BMA is also planning to adjust its workforce to reflect the population in each area,” he added.

Chadchart also urged people who wish to dispose of oversized garbage to check the collection date, time, and venue for disposing of oversized garbage at their respective district office.