The Bureau of Bangkok Municipal Fertilizer: A History of Refuse Management in Bangkok, from the mid-1950s to the mid-1970s

Abstract

This article examines the development of the Bureau of Bangkok Municipal Fertilizer, Bangkok Municipality from the mid-1950s to the mid-1970s to understand the process of solid waste management in Bangkok through technology. The study found that the Bureau of Bangkok Municipal Fertilizer started by trying to solve the problem of solid waste. This problem affectsed people in the urban area that extends to the waste dumping sites of the Bangkok Municipality. People’s complaints encouraged solutions to waste problems through technology to treat solid waste as a resource. It was driven by a government that realized the pressure from the people from the mid-1950s. This was an experimental project and there was an enormous waste disposal plant constructed from this movement. However, the plant was unable to operate efficiently, and due to technological limitations was unable to adequately deal with the solid waste of the Bangkok Municipality. The most crucial factor was the political factor of the late 1950s, which interfered with the administration of the municipality and affected the operation of the fertilizer plant.