Chatcai Reports Four-Year Achievement: Odor Reduction at On Nuch Waste Management Center Drops 50%
Odor pollution at Bangkok's On Nuch waste management center has dropped 50% over four years through facility upgrades and air treatment systems, though officials acknowledge more work is needed to eliminate peak odor spikes affecting reside
On May 7, 2025, Bangkok Governor Chatcai Sittiphand reported on four years of improvements at the On Nuch waste management center and plans to develop the area into a green industry model. The On Nuch facility, Bangkok's oldest waste management center, has faced persistent odor complaints from surrounding communities. Over the past four years, Bangkok has accelerated improvements across four main operations: a 1,000-ton waste transfer station with 100% enclosed building, eight automatic doors, 60,000 cubic meters per hour air treatment system, and 200 surrounding trees (completed December 20, 2023); an 800-ton MBT waste treatment facility operated by Bangkok Finance Company that received 10 major upgrades including complete closure system, two-tier waste gates with five doors, 167,000 cubic meters per hour air treatment, air curtain, odor control tunnel with microbial spray system, and automatic wheel washing; two composting facilities of 1,000 and 600 tons per day that, despite lacking odor management clauses in their original contracts, received E-Nose systems at six monitoring points, CCTV cameras, and landscape improvements. The 600-ton composting facility's contract expires December 2025, and the 1,000-ton facility expires next year; both are likely to be replaced with a 1,000-ton waste-to-energy power generation system currently in testing phase with 400 tons daily intake, expected to operate fully in the second half of 2025. While scientific data shows continuous average odor reduction, residents care more about peak odor days affecting their quality of life. Therefore, the next goal is eliminating high odor spikes entirely, requiring harder work to fix occasional problems and truly provide peace of mind to communities surrounding the waste center. Chatcai emphasized transparency in contract oversight with strict penalties for non-compliance, acknowledging criticism from various sectors including Parliament members regarding the closed system, confirming improvements over the past while remaining open to continuous development for public quality of life.
