Inception Meeting on Implementing a Pilot Project on Transforming Waste Practices to reduce single-use plastics in Nakhon Si Thammarat

Nakhon Si Thammarat Province (Thailand) is facing a significant plastic waste challenge, generating over 9,000 tonnes of plastic waste annually, much of which is either ended up in landfills or leaked into the environment. In response, the city partnered with the Institute for Global Environmental Strategies (IGES) in collaboration with Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) with support from the Government of Japan to develop a City Action Plan on Plastic Waste Management that emphasises source reduction, circular approaches, and behavioural change.

Building on this action plan, IGES has launched a pilot project to tackle single-use plastics by implementing targeted interventions across schools, hotels, and local markets. The project aims to drive community-led solutions through awareness building, introducing voluntary participation mechanisms, and fostering sustainable daily practices.

On 21 March 2025, IGES with the Nakhon Si Thammarat City Municipality convened the Inception Meeting on Implementing the Pilot Project on Transforming Waste Practices in Nakhon Si Thammarat, inviting key stakeholders from local government, line agencies, education institutions, and the business sector to present the project design, gather input, and co-develop the implementation strategy.

Key Discussions and Insights from Speakers

Dr. Vongvachira Ovararin, Vice Mayor of Nakhon Si Thammarat, welcomed the launch of the new Pilot Project on Transforming Waste Practices to reduce single-use plastics in Nakhon Si Thammarat, reaffirming the city’s commitment to tackling single-use plastics. He highlighted the importance of collaboration with IGES, ESCAP and GIZ, and noted the project's alignment with city priorities — especially its focus on schools, hotels and markets. He also stressed the role of education in driving long-term change and shared the city’s efforts to address unmanaged waste and flooding. The Vice Mayor expressed hope that the project would inspire lasting policy change and position Nakhon Si Thammarat as a model for sustainable waste management.

Dr. Premakumara Jagath Dickella Gamaralalage, Director, IGES Centre Collaborating with UNEP on Environmental Technologies (IGES-CCET) shared insights from over a decade of IGES–UNEP collaboration supporting waste management in Asia. He stressed that while countries like Japan took decades to transform their systems, emerging economies like Thailand can move faster by learning from global experiences. Transformation, he noted, requires cross-sector collaboration — from governments and businesses to schools and citizens. Finally, Dr. Premakumara also highlighted UNEP’s efforts on gender-inclusive waste systems, youth engagement, and regional policy dialogues — calling for sector-based working groups to ensure sustainable, locally driven action.

Dr. Jutamas Kaewsuk, Lecturer, Mahidol University, outlined the implementation of the Pilot Project on Transforming Waste Practices in Nakhon Si Thammarat, which aims to strengthen waste management and circular economy practices in Nakhon Si Thammarat through collaboration with key local stakeholders. She highlighted the three target sectors under the project: schools, hotels, and local markets.

• Schools: the project will work with students through an inspiration and leadership-building process, followed by hackathons where student teams design and implement their own waste reduction initiatives. These activities will be monitored, and outstanding efforts will be rewarded, with potential to be formalised into school’s policies and curriculums.
• Hotels: the project will develop a stepwise green certification system, allowing both small and large businesses to participate at different levels of green standards. Participating hotels will receive training and on-site coaching to meet criteria and receive recognition from the municipality and the Hotel Association.
• Markets: the project will pilot initiatives in two popular local markets and explore integrating natural packaging alternatives like banana leaves, potentially sourced through rural-urban linkages. This sectoral approach is intended to create scalable, locally adapted models that contribute to sustainable waste management and long-term policy integration.

Ms. Chochoe Devaporihartakula, Programme Manager, Institute for Global Environmental Strategies (IGES), shared that in addition to the Pilot Project on Transforming Waste Practices in Nakhon Si Thammarat, IGES has been engaging in another initiative in Krabi, focusing on promoting sustainable tourism through the hotel sector. This project, supported by the Sustainable Consumption and Production Association (Thailand) and other government and business partners, involves collecting environmental footprint data from hotels, developing a national data platform, providing training and support to 50–70 hotels to achieve Green Hotel certification, and helping advanced hotels move toward Green Hotel Plus standards. It also includes the development of a local sustainability tourism report in Krabi, inspired by the Voluntary Local Review (VLR) model previously developed for NST, creating synergies between the two cities in advancing circular economy and sustainable development practices.

Ms. Rebecca Purba, Associate Economic Affairs Officer, Sustainable Urban Development Section, ESCAP, introduced ESCAP’s role in advancing sustainable urban development across Asia and the Pacific and provided an overview of the Urban-Act project, a four-year initiative funded by the German Government through the International Climate Initiative (IKI). The project focuses on strengthening national frameworks for collaborative climate action and enhance the capacity of cities to engage in climate dialogue and implement climate solutions. Urban-Act is being implemented in five countries and one transboundary region (IMT-GT) through a partnership involving GIZ, ESCAP, UCLG ASPAC, the University of Stuttgart, TU Dortmund University, and local partners such as CIMT. In Nakhon Si Thammarat, the Gap Fund, ESCAP, CIMT has approved a pre-feasibility study for an Integrated Resource Recovery Center, which will assess local waste composition, resource recovery potential, environmental and socio-economic impacts, financial and operational viability, and identify investment opportunities from public, private, or international sources. Ms. Rebecca emphasised the critical role of stakeholder engagement, capacity building, and long-term investment in achieving systemic transformation at the city level.

Key Messages from Stakeholders

Educational Institutions and Agencies

• Schools are receptive to integrating circular economy concepts into education, curriculum integration, and extracurricular activities.
• Youth leadership and participation in waste reduction and environmental sustainability campaigns were emphasised is vital.
• Suggestions included establishing school-based competitions and engaging students in monitoring and reporting waste reduction progress.
• Additional support requires educational materials, training sessions, and engagement tools that align with school programs.

Hotels

• Several hotels are interested in adopting green practices and working toward certifications such as “Green Hotel.”
• Key concerns included the availability and cost of alternatives to single-use plastics and the lack of standardised waste separation services.
• Some hotels currently separate waste internally but lack connections to reliable recyclers or downstream solutions.
• Support needs practical guidelines, training, incentives (e.g., recognition, promotion), and linkages with certified recycling businesses.

Markets

• Market vendors expressed concern about the excessive use of plastic bags and food containers, especially during festivals and peak seasons.
• Some vendors are already experimenting with alternatives like banana leaves and reusable containers but face limitations with cost and customer acceptance.
• There is interest in piloting "plastic-free" zones or designated days with support from local government and communication campaigns.
• Requests included packaging alternatives, collaboration with local producers, awareness campaigns, and reward mechanisms.

Local Authorities and Other Stakeholders

• Authorities recognised the importance of aligning the pilot activities with local policies and plans, including the Provincial Solid Waste Management Plan and Local Action Plan.
• They emphasised the need for systematic waste separation at source, improved collection services, and monitoring systems.
• Suggestions included the development of local standards or guidance for businesses and institutions participating in the pilot.
• Authorities are open to facilitating coordination between sectors and supporting data collection, policy integration, and scale-up opportunities.

Key Outcomes

• Stakeholders from the municipality, education, hotel and tourism sectors expressed strong support for project collaboration on the project.
• Stakeholders also agreed to establish sectoral working groups to steer the implementation process.
• Insights and lessons from Krabi, Bhutan, Indonesia, and Cambodia provided useful models for adaptation to local contexts.

Next Steps

• Actively engage schools, local markets and businesses through municipal and provincial networks.
• Document and replicate successful case studies for implementation at both city and regional levels.
• Maintain regular stakeholder meetings to monitor progress, coordinate actions, and promote knowledge exchange.