Thailand’s construction industry generated an average of 1.1
million tons of construction waste per year during 2002–2005.
Most of these wastes were dumped illegally and others were landfilled.
This is a loss of valuable economic resources. To develop a
sustainable construction industry in Thailand, the Integrated National
Waste Management plan must be fully implemented together
with measures that encourage the recovery and recycling of construction waste. Effort must also be directed at minimizing
construction waste generation by improving the managerial capacity
of companies at the design, procurement, and production
stages. This can be achieved by educating stakeholders on the
importance and benefits (e.g., reduction of transportation and
landfill disposal costs) of implementing cleaner production in
waste management as an opportunity for the effective reduction
of waste generation and its disposal. Effective recovery and recycling
of construction waste has the potential to create jobs and also
reduce energy consumption in the country. One of the key limitations
to this study was the lack of construction and demolition
waste data in Thailand. Without this, it is hard to plan future
requirements for construction waste management or even improve
the performance of the construction industry. To attain the goals of
the national waste management plan and enhance the recycling of
construction waste in Thailand, it is recommended that an inventory
of all construction and demolition waste generated in the
country be created. This will provide information that can be used
to assess the feasibility of large scale recycling of construction
waste. Finally, there must be fruitful cooperation between the
waste management authorities, and management initiatives
should include effective measures for the documentation of waste
streams and focus on the main cities from which these wastes
originate.