CHIANG MAI – Residents in Chom Thong, Chiang Mai, say they have had enough of a landfill that has operated for nearly two years in forested land at the foot of Doi Inthanon. They report foul odours, pests, and runoff polluting local waterways.
This week, villagers put up banners calling for the site to close and voiced strong opposition to a planned waste-to-energy project in the same area. They fear damage to a key headwater forest and to their way of life. Community leaders say no proper public consultation has been held.
Locals in Muang Klang village, Ban Luang Subdistrict, gathered to protest the landfill managed by the Ban Luang Subdistrict Municipality. The municipality received permission to use a section of the Chom Thong national reserve forest as a disposal site.
Waste has piled up, and smells now reach nearby communities. At the site entrance, residents posted signs rejecting both a sorting facility and any power project that uses waste as fuel.
Fencing surrounds the landfill, but inside, a large earthen mound sits amid forest. Heaps of garbage cover the area. Villagers say much of it was buried without proper controls. During the rainy season, leachate flows into natural streams that residents rely on for daily use and farming.
Chinese Investors Backed Away
Preparations had also begun to build a sorting plant and a waste-to-energy facility. Locals say a Chinese company was lined up to invest and had an agreement with the municipality. Construction has paused due to community resistance.
Muangkhum Lunrawan, a community representative, said the site has been used for municipal waste, including garbage from Doi Inthanon National Park. He added that the municipality secured a two-year permit from the Royal Forest Department by classifying the land as degraded, although locals consider it a healthy headwater forest.
The permit is due to expire in October 2025, yet residents learned the municipality planned to extend the use for another 30 years. They also heard about the plan to add a sorting facility and a waste-to-energy plant, again without a village assembly or consent. The community wants the landfill closed and removed, and the forest restored.
Landfill Ordered Closed
Buriboon Uplee, who lives less than 500 metres from the site, said her family has suffered for almost two years. The smell can be so strong that they lose their appetite. Flies swarm the house and make daily life hard.
She called on the municipality to honour the original two-year limit and move the landfill to a location far from homes.
Ban Luang Mayor, Ko Chi Phetpraiphanawan, said the municipality has now ordered the landfill closed due to the impacts on residents. The original plan was to use about 20 rai temporarily after the previous dump site reached capacity.
The two-year term ends this October. He said the site will be cleared, the land rehabilitated, and then returned to the Royal Forest Department.
The mayor added that a waste sorting project exists on paper, but no village consultation has taken place, and no construction permit has been issued. He said a company moved early without full approvals. The municipality applied for land use following forest rules, which allow for a 30-year term, but claims it intended to operate for only two years.
The lack of clear communication confused the community. He pledged to remove remaining waste, replant the area, and halt all operations, including the landfill, sorting facility, and any waste-to-energy plant.
Ban Luang Municipality also covers parts of Doi Inthanon National Park, a major tourist draw. During peak season, waste can reach about 70 tonnes per day. In the off-season, it averages around 30 tonnes per day.
