AIT supported project � Demonstrating Recyclable Waste Bank in Ayuthaya Municipality

Teachers and students from eight schools in Ayuthaya Municipality exhibited a variety of products recycled from wastes at the opening ceremony of AIT supported project, Demonstrating Recyclable Waste Bank in Ayuthaya Municipality held on 26 September 2006 at Sabpasamitbamrung School, Ayuthaya, old capital city of Thailand.

The ceremony was opened by Mr. Somsong Sabphakosolkul, Mayor of Ayuthaya Municipality. Also presiding over the ceremony were Mr. Chatchai Ritnam, Director of Education Division, Ayuthaya Municipality; Dr. Ranjith Perera, Southeast Asia Urban Environmental Management Applications (SEA-UEMA) Project’s Director, and Dr. Vilas Nitivattananon, Sub-sector Networks and Project Applications Coordinator, SEA-UEMA Project, AIT, and the management teams and staff of the municipality and SEA-UEMA Project including some UEM graduates and network members.

Jointly organized by Ayuthaya Municipality and Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA)-AIT Partnership, SEA-UEMA Project, the Demonstrating Recyclable Waste Bank (RWB), one of the SEA-UEMA Project’s interventions is being implemented by Ayuthaya Municipality, a Project’s network member. The primary objectives of this demonstration project is to reduce the amount of waste disposed at the landfills by setting up RWBs in schools of the municipality; to educate students and the people about the importance of recycling and recovery of resources; to raise the awareness of the youth and through them their parents regarding the potentials of recycling waste; and to enable income generation for the youth and thus reduce family expenses.

In the project, students from selected eight schools in Ayuthaya Municipality establish the RWBs and are involved in categorization, collection, transportation and recycling of the waste in the schools and the respective communities. The eight schools are: Sabpasamitbamrung School, Watsalapoon School, Watkean School, Watmangnangplem School, Wattongpu School, Watpako School, Watjean School, and Chumchonpompet School.

At the opening ceremony, Dr. Ranjith Perera, SEA-UEMA Project Director, AIT, said this project is quite different from all other projects since it is the first time that the project is a school-based activity to help educate young children about environmental management, resource conservation, recycling and about saving and maintaining savings account. “I believe that the project goes beyond just environmental management. It also helps educate our young generation about the value of environment and the value of saving. If they learn something from this project and contribute to managing environment, I believe that this is our contribution to our society,” he added.

According to Dr. Perera, the RWB project was proposed by Sabpasamitbamrung School under the partnership with and support of SEA-UEMA Project, AIT, with the funding from CIDA. “Usually in the bank, people deposit their savings in money. For this RWB project, the waste bank means they deposit waste which can be converted into money. Once they operate their deposits like in the saving book in the commercial bank, these kids will bring their saving books and will deposit waste. It is almost like the bank. The only difference is instead of depositing money, they deposit waste. For example, one kilogram of plastic bottle is 10 Bht. and if that student brings 3 kilograms, so 30 Bht. will be credited to their saving account book. Then, they will accumulate their savings and they can use that to buy school supplies. They really don’t get money, but they accumulate their value,” explained Dr. Perera.

He added that a small waste bank was already organized in Sabpasamitbamrung School, but AIT is assisting the school to strengthen its activities and make it a bigger bank and also in some other schools in the municipality. This waste bank project will be run in all 8 schools and in the afternoon of the opening day, teachers and some students from other schools came for a training program. It is a networking of bank, with this school as the headquarters of the bank for managing the account, and they will sell the waste to the waste dealers and get money. This project will be assisted by AIT for one year and then the institute will gradually withdraw and let them do it on their own. By the end of the first year, the schools will have accumulated some funds through the activity which will enable them to sustain the project for a long time. He further emphasized that this activity-based environmental management is sometimes more valuable than the classroom-based education.

Dr. Vilas Nitivattananon, Sub-sector Networks and Project Applications Coordinator, SEA-UEMA Project, said that the Recyclable Waste Bank project is one of demonstration projects participated by several network members of SEA-UEMA Project and AIT alumni. SEA-UEMA Project has different levels of its networking—regional and local levels for institutional and individual categories. In Thailand, SEA-UEMA Project is partnering with the network members in implementing demonstration projects in several places, including Pang-Nga which is being worked on and Klong Rangsit which was completed already. He added that the SEA-UEMA Project emphasized on UEM applications and networking with participation by all stakeholders. It also involves the scholarships for Master’s and Doctoral degree studies in Urban Environmental Management at AIT.

“We may also have research activity which will be the applied research that can address the problems on disposal wastes. After the RWB project is completed, there will be a meeting on policy which we will invite the management of the municipality and involved persons to attend in expanding the result of the Recyclable Waste Bank into policy level. We expect to have impacts on policies at municipality level and, if possible, at the Ministry’s or national level. This project is not focusing on building a big waste treatment system which might cost 30 or more million Bht. This project costs only less than one million Bht., but we received very good participation by several people and groups, which is quite cost-effective if counting by heads,” Dr. emphasized.