| Author | Siwaporn Tangwanichagapong |
| Call Number | AIT Diss no.UE-17-02 |
| Note | A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Urban Environmental Management, School of Environment, Resources and Development |
| Publisher | Asian Institute of Technology |
| Series Statement | Dissertation ; no. UE-17-02 |
| Abstract | Increasing economic growth, population density and rapid urbanization add more pressure
to the sustainable management of global resources. The rate of extraction and use of
resources have been very rapidly increased in recent years for sustaining higher living
standards. Materials and products that are manufactured, consumed and discarded as waste
typically follow "linear metabolism". This research consists of exploring the adoption of
the principle of the circular economy (CE) that helps to mitigate impacts at source and
reduce overall waste and resource consumption per capita. Employing packaging waste in
Thailand as a case study, the main objective of this study is to assess the cun-ent circular
economy practice, and to analyse and identify key barriers to CE implementation and to
propose appropriate policy measures to enhance sustainable waste and resources
management.
The research engaged three main key stakeholder groups: producers, consumers and the
public sector. A set of CE indicators was adopted from previous studies that proposed
relevant CE indicators. Barriers identified in this study are based on responses from
stakeholders in the packaging waste management sector. A mixed method approach was
adopted for consumer behaviour analysis using questionnaire-based surveys. Waste
compositional analysis, field observations and key informant interviews were conducted to
investigate the characteristics of material flows. Subsequently, in-depth interviews using
semi-structured interview questions were carried out to gather data on attitudes and
opinions toward CE development from key informants representing national and local
governments, NGOs, the industrial sector and packaging companies. Data and information
were then qualitatively analysed.
The results show that there has been an increase in packaging waste in the MSW stream, of
which plastic poses a key challenge in the urban waste stream. The cunent flow of
packaging waste is predominated by recycling as "downcycling". Most packaging waste
remaining at landfills is one-time use packaging. Overall there were very limited efforts
and initiatives towards reduction of packaging waste by stakeholders. Findings show
potential areas and oppo1tunities of improvement through "revalue" and "repurpose" of
post-consumer packaging and enhancing recycling rate. According to the assessment,
consumers had positive attitudes towards 3R practices and were conscious of waste
problems; however this study shows that the level of knowledge and positive attitude have
not really resulted in behavioural changes. Decision makers and company practitioners are
not yet familiar with the terminology and definition of CE, and they do not believe that CE
will have significant impacts in the short or medium terms due to barriers hindering the
implementation of CE. Those barriers include issues related to management,
communication and information gaps, consumer behaviour and mindset, and the lack of a
reverse waste logistics system. Economic incentives and regulatory instruments in line
with a new waste management policy framework are recommended to overcome the
barriers.
This study contributes to the CE literature in the context of developing countries.
Specifically it fulfils knowledge gaps on measuring and monitoring the degree of
circularity in waste management sector and proposes a set of CE indicators that are suitable
and measureable in an emerging country's context. Practically, this research has suggested
a waste management policy framework and policy measures based on current limiting
factors and policy instruments for holistic waste and resources management. This could
help to promote policy dialogue among stakeholders based on identified barriers. |
| Year | 2017 |
| Corresponding Series Added Entry | Asian Institute of Technology. Dissertation ; no. UE-17-02 |
| Type | Dissertation |
| School | School of Environment, Resources, and Development (SERD) |
| Department | Other Field of Studies (No Department) |
| Academic Program/FoS | Urban Environmental and Management (UE) |
| Chairperson(s) | Vilas Nitivattananon |
| Examination Committee(s) | Mohanty, Brahmanand;Nguyen Thi Kim Oanh;
Visvanathan, Chettiyappan;Ma, Hwong-wen |
| Scholarship Donor(s) | Royal Thai Government;Asian Institute of Technology Fellowship |
| Degree | Thesis (Ph.D.) - Asian Institute of Technology, 2017 |