Chapter 9 - Food waste management in Thailand for sustainable development

Abstract

Food waste in Thailand represents 40%–70% of municipal solid waste by geographic location, regional food, lifestyle, and consumption patterns. The problem of food waste is becoming increasingly serious, especially in urban areas and tourist cities such as Bangkok, Ayutthaya, Phuket, Chiang Mai, and Chiang Rai. Food waste reduction should be the priority base on the diversion strategy of the waste management hierarchy. Thailand aims to reuse and recycle 50% of organic waste by 2026 using the 3Rs strategy. This target can contribute to climate change mitigation by avoiding landfill gas emissions, and supporting a Bio–Circular–Green (BCG) economy model. The selected treatment processes consist of biodiesel, incineration, pyrolysis, gasification, value-added products and materials, biogas, biohydrogen and bioethanol, microbial fuel cells, composting and biofertilizer, and animal feed. The management of food waste from Thailand’s perspective on the current situation is presented in this article. Participatory action research (PAR) should be investigated to create a decent environment. In particular for the hotel industry, schools, universities, and temples, food waste awareness, live cooking practices, food donations, and waste sorting need to be more practical. Organic farming projects can use food waste for fertilizer production, biofermentation liquids, and feed for farm animals. In addition, it is necessary to develop a comprehensive and cross-cutting policy on food loss and waste across all sectors to cover the entire supply chain from farm to plate. This will contribute to achieving the sustainable development goals for Targets 2, 12, and 13.