Over the recent festive holidays, popular seaside retreats at Hua Hin in Prachuap Khiri Khan and Khao Lak in Phang Nga have reported sharp increases in the amount of garbage left behind by visitors, causing environmental problems.
An extra 40 tonnes (40,000 kg) of garbage daily, which is approximately two-fifths the weight of a blue whale, were left behind in Hua Hin Municipality, a popular seaside resort town in Thailand.
Over the recent festive holidays, popular seaside retreats at Hua Hin in Prachuap Khiri Khan and Khao Lak in Phang Nga have reported sharp increases in the amount of garbage left behind by visitors, causing environmental problems.
At Hua Hin, the total amount of garbage collected reached 200 tonnes per day, up from the average 160 tonnes, according to Phuket Gazette.
The permanent secretary of Hua Hin Municipality, Jirawat Phrammanee, said the local authorities were trying hard to keep the resort town clean, as Hua Hin is a main attraction for both domestic and international tourists.
A private company has been hired by local authorities to collect garbage around the city three times per day, every day, to keep the city clean. Collected waste was buried at the landfill in nearby Pranburi District.
The town has seen increasing garbage levels each year, reflecting the increasing municipal population and the growth of tourism and business, Phrammanee said.
The seaside resort town of Khao Lak, an hour north of Phuket, has also been reportedly left with rubbish strewn over the beach after the New Year holidays.
Bang Sak Beach was littered by masses of discarded bottles and plastic cutlery. There was no report from Phang Nga on how the local authorities dealt with the problem.