Strategic Management of Implementation of the Circular Economy Concept into Municipal Solid Waste Management: A Case Study Municipality in Thailand

Abstract

The objectives of this study are to analyze the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and risks of municipal solid waste (MSW) management and study the strategic management of the implementation of the circular economy into MSW management. This study used qualitative methods, including in-depth interviews with 15 key informants and a focus group with six participants, to discuss guidelines for strategic management of a circular economy. This study also used purposive and accidental sampling, and the data were analyzed using SWOT, descriptive and content analyses. The results showed that that few individuals segregate their waste, while organizations promote waste segregation and try to foster the circular economy concept under the 3Rs (reduce, reuse and recycle), emphasizing household waste segregation for the sale and recycling of garbage so that households can earn income for family expenses. The guidelines for a municipality to operate a circular economy are as follows: Municipalities should encourage households to compost their own fertilizer and make biogas from food scraps. Each municipality should collaborate with education institutes to design and produce biogas fermentation tanks that are appropriate for household use and cooking. Municipalities should design, produce, and develop automatic can- and bottle-purchasing machines and set them up in all communities. The government and municipalities should collaborate to develop factories for refuse-derived fuel (RDF), and the government should emphasize collaboration with municipalities, Provincial Electricity Authority (PEA), the Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand, and the private sector to set up policies and concession guidelines for power plants using waste.