Trash Overflows at Thasai Housing Estate! Post-Flood Trash Dump Emits Foul Odor as Community President Halts Outside Disposal, Insisting It Is Not Unkindness But an Overwhelming Burden

Today (Sep 30, 2026) at 11:30 AM, at Thasai Housing Community, Thung Song Hong Subdistrict, Lak Si District, an open space was being used as a garbage dump for residents to pile up their waste so officials could urgently transport it out of the area.

BMA officials disclosed that the garbage site was originally established to handle waste from the Thasai Housing Community, which comprises about 1,400 households. However, as nearby communities with over 3,000 households learned of the spot, they brought their trash to dump as well, making control difficult. Lak Si District began gradually dumping trash here yesterday afternoon.

Lak Si District has 77 communities in total, 65 of which were affected by flooding. Although all communities were notified to set up local garbage collection points at their community offices, some lacked the environmental readiness to manage waste and instead dropped it off at Thasai Housing Community. This transformed the site into a massive garbage hub over the past two days that has yet to be fully cleared. Furthermore, as floodwaters have just receded, trash is expected to be continuously brought in.

Garbage transport shifts run from 5:00 AM for the morning round and 13:00 PM for the afternoon round, with rotating teams using six-wheeled trucks to haul waste out over 10 times a day, carrying around 5 tons per load.

Additionally, officials will gradually distribute the waste to BMA waste disposal centers. It is estimated that it may take more than a week to clear everything, as the garbage visible today is only a portion; many alleys remain flooded, requiring daily waste intake until the situation normalizes.

Mr. Somporn Chantarasawat, President of the Thasai Housing Community in Lak Si District, revealed the impact after opening the area as a garbage collection point, stating that the community has approximately 1,495 households and nearly 20,000 residents, all affected by the floods. Now that the water has receded, residents are bringing out spoiled household trash daily, causing waste volumes to surge. Although he tried to coordinate rapid removal, the garbage sat piled up for days and began emitting a severe stench.

Mr. Somporn explained that the site was originally unused vacant land, temporarily opened as a garbage dump to ease the distress of local residents. Fencing was cut away to allow easy access for garbage trucks, and public announcements were made instructing Thasai Housing residents to bring their trash there initially. However, details later spiraled out of control as other communities began bringing their waste to dump as well.

Yesterday, the Director of Lak Si District requested permission to temporarily use the Thasai Housing area as a garbage site because other areas were not ready. He agreed, but since 6:00 AM today, over 40 truckloads of garbage have been dumped by the public, causing a severe odor and triggering numerous complaints from residents. Consequently, accepting outside waste has now been suspended.

Mr. Somporn added that he made public announcements requesting cooperation from other communities to stop dumping trash there, but people continued bringing it in. Thus, volunteers had to be stationed to monitor the site, allowing only Thasai Housing residents to dump trash as normal, while asking other communities to dispose of waste in their own areas. For communities without a dump site, he coordinated with the Lak Si District Director to dispatch open-bed garbage trucks to drive down alleys and distribute collection efforts across various communities instead.

Regarding potential perceptions of unneighborliness, Mr. Somporn respectfully emphasized that he fully understands the distress of every community in Lak Si District.

"It is not unkindness, but sometimes our community context is already managed internally. Your community can be managed by you, as every community president has the capacity to care for their own community to an extent. But if you do not do it, you cannot simply dump it on Thasai," Mr. Somporn said.

He reiterated that every community president can coordinate with government agencies, politely requesting residents from other communities to keep garbage within their own community areas or place it in front of their homes first, as district staff and trucks will arrive to collect it accordingly.