Mr. Pornphrom Vikitsreth, Advisor to the Governor of Bangkok and Chief Sustainability Officer, revealed that The Environment Agency has supported a collaborative project to manage plastic waste in the Chao Phraya River with solar-powered interceptors or boats by The Ocean Cleanup of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in collaboration with the Department of Marine and Coastal Resources, Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment. Interceptors will be installed in the Chao Phraya River in the area of Chaloem Phrakiat 6th Cycle Birthday Anniversary Public Park, Rama 3 Road, Bang Kho Laem District. One equipped waste transport boat with personnel will be deployed to collect waste for a period of 1 year from February 2024 – January 2025. It also covers 1 garbage truck and operator for a period of 6 months from February – July 2024. The collected waste will be used to further research the amount of plastic waste in the Chao Phraya River.

The Environment Agency is responsible for maintaining cleanliness and collecting trash and weeds in the Chao Phraya River, a distance of approximately 34 kilometers. Both sides of the river and the middle of the Chao Phraya River are mostly weeds and water hyacinths. Especially during the rainy season or flood season (between October – March), there will be a lot of water hyacinths, making it impossible to collect them all quickly in a short period.  

The Interceptor is powered by solar panels, with 24-hour automation and no human intervention required. It was created by The Ocean Cleanup (TOC), a leading global environmental technology non-profit organization. They deal with marine waste from the Kingdom of the Netherlands. It is a garbage trap that reduces the amount of garbage in the Chao Phraya River before it flows into the sea. It can collect 50,000 – 100,000 pieces of trash per day. The Chao Phraya River is one of 15 rivers in the world that will have such innovations implemented to reduce waste in the Chao Phraya River and enhance public awareness of reducing garbage dumping into rivers, which will lead to a better quality of life for Thai people.