Striving towards Sustainability (PDF)

Bachelor Thesis from the year 2015 in the subject Cultural Studies - Miscellaneous, grade: 1,7, , language: English, abstract: Similar to other developing countries, Thailand is also confronted with the challenge of reconciling fast economic and population growth and the resulting change in consumption patterns facing limited planetary resources. Struggling with this dispute, many Thai cities are dealing with an increasing amount of waste produced that is improperly disposed. Proper waste disposal is crucial as it is directly linked to health, well-being, quality of life, carbon emission, energy consumption, air quality and income generation. The proper disposal of waste has significant impact on environmental, social, and economic factors; these factors are considered the three pillars of sustainability. Since both the population and the amount of waste are steadily increasing, a proper waste management and recycling strategies need to be developed. Material recycling, meaning material recovery from waste, is a promising strategy for coping with the current waste crisis and moving towards sustainability. Recycling is considered a solid waste management strategy. Waste management includes the 'collection, transportation, and disposal of garbage, sewage, and other waste products' and 'encompasses management of all processes and resources [...] from maintenance of waste transport trucks and dumping facilities to compliance with health codes and environmental regulations' (BusinessDictionary 2015). Recycling can be defined as the 'act of extracting materials [e.g. newspaper, aluminum, glass] from the waste stream and reusing them.' It involves, 'collection, separation, processing, marketing and the creation of new products or material from used products or material' (Lund 2001). Recycling a significant fraction of waste leads to notable socio-economic and environmental benefits.