Solid and Industrial Waste Management 

Risk

AMATA Industrial Estates in Thailand host over 1,321 industrial factories and tenants, employing over 295,000 workers, and generating massive amounts of waste and industrial waste annually. If the factories fail to comply with laws on solid waste and industrial waste management, they could cause negative impacts on the health of waste workers, the environment, and nearby communities in both the short and long term. Additionally, it could potentially affect the Company's ability to obtain future expansion licenses.

Opportunity

Efficient waste management and creating additional value from waste through circular economy principles offer a business opportunity for the Company to develop new products and services that lower its costs, increase revenue, build stakeholder confidence, be recognized by the local community, and also support the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions from landfills.

Management Approach

Waste management is important to the Company throughout the business value chain, from waste generation to waste disposal.

Waste management is important to the Company throughout the business value chain, from waste generation to waste disposal. As a result, a waste management policy has been established to minimize the environmental impact that may occur from the business within the industrial estate. The policy emphasizes proper and legal waste management, adherence to environmental standards and academic principles. Furthermore, it encourages factories in industrial estates to recycle and reuse, as well as to bring innovation and modern technology to their benefit in order to reduce both solid and industrial waste. The Company is only responsible for managing solid waste and non-hazardous industrial waste, while hazardous waste is managed by factory operators under the Industrial Estate Authority of Thailand Act (B.E. 2522, 1979), the Factory Act (B.E. 2535, 1992), and the Public Health Act (B.E. 2535, 1992).

The Company has assigned its subsidiary, AMATA Facility Services Company Limited (AFS), to oversee the waste management of factories in both industrial estates in Thailand in accordance with relevant laws under the Industrial Estate Authority of Thailand Act, B.E. 2522 (1979), the Factory Act, B.E. 2535 (1992), and the Public Health Act, B.E. 2535 (1992). The Company’s solid waste management service is now used by 587 factories in AMATA City Chonburi Industrial Estate, and 282 factories in AMATA City Rayong Industrial Estate, representing 81.94% and 71.17% of total factories in each industrial estate respectively which increase from 2022.

Zero Waste to Landfill

The Company is aware of the impacts of waste disposal through landfilling, which contributes to greenhouse gas emissions, a primary cause of climate change.

Therefore, the Company has set a target to minimize the amount of solid waste sent to landfill disposal by applying the principles of the circular economy to maximize resource utilization. This includes providing waste collection, sorting, and disposal services for solid waste in AMATA City Chonburi Industrial Estate since 2011, and it is currently preparing to expand its operations to AMATA City Rayong Industrial Estate.

            The solid waste separation process at the waste separation plant is operated by the Company’s contractors according to the 3Rs (Reduce, Reuse, Recycle) principle. The sorted solid waste is sent out and disposed of by various methods by skilled and licensed contractors. Moreover, the Company encourages factories to sort and classify their solid waste before sending it to the waste separation plant. This results in the Company receiving better quality waste for RDF production and waste recycling, thereby minimizing the amount of non-usable waste to be disposed of in landfills.

Solid Waste Management in the Industrial Estate

In 2023, the Company provided solid waste management services to factory operators in both industrial estates, totaling 26,698.97 tons, of which 19,381.27 tons came from AMATA City Chonburi Industrial Estate and 7,317.70 tons came from AMATA City Rayong Industrial Estate. To accomplish the Company’s objectives of reducing the amount of solid waste disposed to landfills, the Company focused on improving the waste management process from sending to landfills to sorting recyclable waste and the production of alternative fuels in the form of waste fuels (Refuse-derived Fuel: RDF), which will be used as a fuel for co-incineration at cement plants.

In 2023, the Company managed to separate 11.15% of recyclable waste and 88.85% of waste that can be used for Refuse-derived fuel (RDF) production from the total amount of solid waste in AMATA City Chonburi Industrial Estate in the Company’s waste separation plant. The Company was able to reduce the amount of waste dumped in landfills to 0% of the total amount of solid waste managed in the waste separation plant.

The COVID-19 pandemic in Thailand in 2020–2023 significantly increased infectious waste due to self-protection measures in the Company’s offices and the customers’ factories, such as face masks and ATK (Rapid Antigen Test Kit). Although the proportion of infectious waste was small in comparison to the total amount of solid waste the Company managed for customers, the Company still needs certified and licensed contractors for infectious waste disposal services. While self-managed waste disposal in the factories causes them higher operational costs, the demand for infectious waste disposal, a new waste management service, has increased significantly recently. The Company, therefore, has developed its infectious waste disposal services by selecting qualified and authorized contractors to serve its customers in both AMATA City Industrial Estates. The Company oversees and monitors the disposal of infectious waste by using GPS trackers in garbage trucks, tracking them from departure to the infectious waste incinerator. Additionally, real-time transportation route reports are provided to customers to build trust. In 2023, 13.995 tons of infectious waste were disposed of.

Due to the implementation of the Zero Waste to Landfill approach, the company reduced waste management costs by 2.4 million baht in 2023. Furthermore, 80% of the factory operators utilizing the Company's waste management services expressed satisfaction and confidence in the waste management practices, ensuring that no waste was illegally disposed of. Additionally, the neighboring communities of AMATA City Chonburi Industrial Estate demonstrated increased confidence in the waste management practices of the industrial estate.

Furthermore, the Company places significant emphasis on stakeholder participation in waste management, aiming to responsibly utilize resources and maximize benefits in accordance with circular economy principles. The Company actively promotes and encourages both internal and external stakeholders to engage in effective waste management practices, thereby fostering increased responsibility within their respective units.

Office Waste Management

The Company encourages all employees to participate in reducing waste and garbage in the office by creating communication campaigns to promote understanding and awareness of proper waste management. Additionally, it has implemented the "All Save, All Win" project through various activities as follows:

  1. Promoting knowledge on waste management and raising awareness through email communication with all employees.
  2. Promoting the reduction of paper usage in offices to minimize waste generation across all company offices and encouraging wastepaper recycling, the Company collaborated with SCG Packaging Public Company Limited to develop the "Paper X Project: The Value of Your Waste". This project aims to produce recycled paper from the Company’s wastepaper, helping to reduce natural resource consumption, waste, and environmental impacts. In 2023, the project recycled 938 kilograms of wastepaper.
  3. Reducing food waste at its source by allowing employees to select their preferred lunch menu to minimize the occurrence of leftover food or food waste.
  4. Conducting waste separation activities and forwarding waste for proper management, aiming to reduce the amount of waste sent to landfills by distributing it to three companies as follows:
    • CirPlas is a company committed to addressing the plastic waste problem by actively reducing the amount of plastic waste sent to landfills. They achieve this by implementing a circular economy model to recover and add value to single-use plastics discarded from daily consumption.
    • Recycle Day is a company that promotes waste separation from the point of origin to ensure it is properly managed at its destination.
    • N15 Technology is a waste management company that receives wastes ,separates it and converts suitable portions into Refuse-derived Fuel: RDF as an alternative energy source to fossil fuels.

In 2023, the Company (Bangkok office) conducted waste separation and sent a total of 128.55 kilograms of recyclable plastic and waste that could not be recycled.

  1. The company participated in the "Ting To Trash" project organized by the Securities and Exchange Commission and collaborated with the Thai Listed Companies Association. The objective is to encourage registered companies to start environmental management initiatives, with a focus on waste management from the source to the destination (project start date: 9 October 2023).
  2. The Company organized the training on the topic of "Office Waste Separation According to the Principles of 3Rs" through in-room lectures and self-learning via online media from November to December 2023 to provide knowledge and understanding of the importance and impact of waste management. A total of 67 participants attended the training.

Encouraging Customer Involvement in Industrial Waste Management

Innovation in Waste Management

The Company developed a smart waste collection system called "Koom Kah Smart Manifest" in collaboration with SCG Chemicals since 2021. The system aims to enhance waste collection management potential within industrial estates by using information technology to provide real-time waste collection data for waste collection and transportation service operators and their customers. The objective is to move towards a Smart Environment City, promoting transparency and boosting confidence in the Company’s waste disposal process. Additionally, amid the COVID-19 pandemic, it has reduced paper contact between waste collection operators and customers by implementing online approval system. All customers in AMATA City Chonburi Industrial Estate who use the Company's waste management services use the "Koom Kah Smart Manifest" system in 2023, accounting for 100% of usage. The system will also be implemented at AMATA City Rayong Industrial Estate accordingly.

The Best Waste Management Awards

The Company is aware of the negative impacts on the environment and the surrounding communities caused by inefficient waste management that does not comply with laws and regulations on both hazardous and non-hazardous waste from the factories that do not use AMATA Facility Service Co., Ltd.’s (AFS) solid waste management services. As a result, the Company encourages participation and provides accurate knowledge and understanding of solid waste and industrial waste management standards required by law to the factories in AMATA City Chonburi Industrial Estate and AMATA City Rayong Industrial Estate.

In addition, the Company has continued to organize the “AMATA Best Waste Management Awards" project, an annual event held from 2014 to the present, to promote and encourage the factories to increase the efficiency of non-hazardous industrial waste management, solid waste management, and sewage. By applying the 3Rs (Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle) principles in waste management, factories can reduce their production costs. The Company’s goal is to provide customers with effective industrial waste and solid waste management within their factories before sending them to the waste separation plant to increase the ratio of waste that can be used for Refuse-derive fuel:  RDF production and recyclable waste.

A total of 94 factories from AMATA City Chonburi Industrial Estate and AMATA City Rayong Industrial Estate applied for the project in 2023. They showed more interest in participating compared to the 81 factories in the 2022 project. This year, the assessment criteria were revised to align with sustainable development principles, focusing on the economic, social, and environmental dimensions. The assessment was conducted through both online and onsite evaluations. Onsite evaluations were mandatory criteria for factories that had upgraded from the previous year, as well as for factories participating in the Gold and Platinum levels for the first time.

              Public relations efforts were undertaken to clarify project details through various electronic media channels, including the Company website, Line officials, Line groups, as well as online meetings. All application forms and attached documents were electronically dispatched and submitted. Assessments and consultations were available both online and onsite, depending on the factory’s needs.

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Thailand
+66 38 939 007
Vietnam

+84 251 3991 007 (South)
+84 203 3567 007 (North)

Myanmar
+95 1 230 5627
Laos

+85 620 5758 0007

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