System performance and constraints of material recovery facilities in Thailand: Analytical insights for circular economy transition

Information from the abstract

Given Thailand's waste management challenges and increasing pressure to advance circular economy (CE) and climate goals, this study investigates the performance and operational constraints of Material Recovery Facilities (MRFs), an area where comparative empirical evidence remains limited. This study employed a mixed-methods approach across eight MRF sites, integrating Material Flow Analysis (MFA), greenhouse gas (GHG) avoidance estimation, economic co-benefit analysis, and stakeholder interviews. Three MRF models in Thailand cases were examined: a community-based Clean MRF, a municipality-operated Dirty MRF, and a public–private partnership (PPP)-operated Dirty MRF. The Clean MRF achieved over 99% recovery through source separation, incentives, and community networks, despite limited capacity. Municipality-operated Dirty MRFs achieved recovery rates of 2–81% due to mixed and contaminated waste inputs, whereas PPP-operated Dirty MRFs achieved recovery rates of 72–97%, supported by higher processing capacity, integrated operational systems, and diversified recycling markets. Across the MRF models, estimated GHG avoidance ranged from 0.28 to 2.73 tCO 2 e per tonne of input. The estimated gross economic value ranged from USD 63 to 145 per tonne of recovered material for Dirty MRFs, compared with approximately USD 285 per tonne for the Clean MRF. Stakeholder evidence indicated that weak source separation, mixed waste collection, inconsistent stakeholder participation, operational constraints, and limited market linkages contribute to a contamination penalty and misalignment between upstream and downstream waste management processes. MRFs serve as material recirculation infrastructure linking source separation, recovery operations, and downstream markets, while feedstock contamination represents a measurable manifestation of socio-technical and institutional misalignment. These findings were elaborated into policy recommendations for integrating MRFs into national waste-management and CE frameworks and positioning them as material recirculation infrastructure linking upstream source separation, midstream recovery operations, downstream markets which enforceable EPR mechanisms would advance Thailand’s waste-to-resource transition.

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This record has an Impact Signal of 89/100 based on recency, source, collaboration, and bibliographic signals. It prioritizes monitoring and is not a judgment of research quality.

Related topics: Sustainable Supply Chain Management · Recycling and Waste Management Techniques · Sustainable Industrial Ecology