🗞️ Good morning! This issue is all about trash, but first, all 14 BRT stations are getting roof and platform upgrades. The Transport Co. is discontinuing its Bangkok-Saraburi route. Dusit Central Park wants you to help name “Thailand’s largest urban roof park.”

🛣️ From the Main Road:

• One big number = 60

• Waste reform needed

• On Nut trash odors continue

• Soft loans + pirated software + coffee

• BMA opposes 20-baht fare cap

• Tessakit officers under fire

• Explainer: Get your urban issues resolved

ONE BIG NUMBER
♻️ 60

Bangkok is increasing its monthly trash collection fee from 20 to 60 baht, starting in October, unless you separate your trash. The four waste categories are food waste, recyclables, hazardous waste and general waste.

What’s next: Households can register for the sorting program discount through the BKK Waste Pay application, its website or in person at their district office. Condo reps can begin registering their buildings starting Aug. 1.

By the numbers: The city aims to cut waste by 1,000 tons a day and save 2 million baht daily in processing costs. More than 112,600 households have already registered.

REALITY CHECK
1. 🚨 Report: City’s waste system still isn’t ready

What happened: Despite a new trash fee hike and sorting campaign, the city’s waste management system is falling behind due to outdated laws, weak enforcement, an unclear tech rollout and a lack of public engagement, a City Council report warned.

Why it matters: The capital produces more than 9,200 tons of trash every day. Without structural fixes, the problem is expected to worsen, draining public funds, harming health and undermining climate goals.

Here’s what the report says:

• No legal teeth: The Cleanliness and Orderliness Act prevents the city from denying trash collection to households that don’t separate their trash or pay the required fees.

• Workers are stretched thin: 10,127 workers collect 9,238 tons of trash daily for an average monthly pay of under 9,500 baht. There are about 400 vacancies.

• Tech and outreach fall short: The BKK Waste Pay app, intended to promote sorting and streamline payments, fails to motivate behavioral change due to a lack of legal backing, weak verification and easily faked photos.

Bottom line: Raising fees alone won’t fix a system without enforcement, adequate staffing or public understanding. The council’s Cleanliness and Environmental Committee urged deeper reform, fast.

📝 Read the full report in Thai.

QUALITY OF LIFE
2. 🏭 Toxic air lingers in On Nut as city fails to enforce waste contracts

What happened: Deputy Gov. Chakkapan Phewngam admitted at the July 16 Bangkok Council meeting that the city failed to enforce contracts with private contractors at the On Nut waste treatment complex.

Why it matters: The lapse has exposed more than 1,900 nearby households, including Sirindhorn Hospital patients, to toxic odors and air pollution for years, said Bang Sue Councilor Pattraporn Kengrungruengchai.

Big picture: The complex has five facilities. While two have been upgraded with closed systems and odor controls, three still cause problems: two composting plants (600 and 1,000 tons) and an infectious waste incinerator.

• Chakkapan said contractors of the two plants broke contract terms, but the Environmental Department didn’t enforce penalties. Necessary upgrades weren’t included in the original contracts, so cooperation has been limited, he added.

What’s next: The city has requested a detailed work plan from the contractors for their upgrades to closed systems but hasn’t received it, the deputy governor said.

The other side: “There are 1,900 affected households around the On Nut waste disposal plant,” Pattraporn said. “If you estimate 4 people per household, that's 7,600 people. You can consider them your voter base for the next election, so you might have motivation to work.”

📹 Watch the full discussion in Thai.

JUST THE HEADLINES
3. 📰 Catch up quickly

• 💵 The Finance Ministry is preparing a 200-billion-baht soft loan program ahead of looming U.S. tariffs.

• ⚙️ Many Bangkok agencies rely on pirated software, posing legal and cybersecurity risks, the Thung Khru councilor says.

• ☕ The affordable specialty coffee market in Bangkok is growing at 46%, outpacing the overall economy.

TRANSPORTATION
4. 💰 Chadchart to the cabinet: Your BTS subsidy isn’t enough

What happened: Ahead of the cabinet’s approval of the 20-baht cap on mass-transit train fares, Gov. Chadchart Sittipunt voiced his opposition in a letter to the Secretariat of the Cabinet, citing funding concerns, according to Isra News.

Why it matters: Negotiations between Bangkok, private operators and the Transportation Ministry are planned, Chadchart said. However, this disagreement could delay the policy’s Oct. 1 rollout.

What he’s saying: The government has proposed 2.5 billion baht in compensation to the BMA. But Chadchart estimated that the actual operating cost is closer to 11 billion baht. If the city foots the bill, he warned it might not have funds for other key initiatives.

Zooming out: The city operates the Green and the Gold lines through concession contracts with Bangkok Mass Transit System Public Company Limited.

CITY ENFORCEMENT
5. 👮 Municipal officers under fire for fake fixes, online harassment claims

What happened: A Bang Phlat enforcement officer doctored an image to falsely close a complaint on Traffy Fondue in a minute. Another Phra Nakhon officer admitted to photographing a female vendor and posting it on his account, sparking online harassment.

Why it matters: These cases raise alarms over abuse of authority and digital integrity, especially for Traffy Fondue, a platform praised for resolving more than 800,000 complaints with high satisfaction rates.

What’s next: The city vowed disciplinary action and improved filters to prevent fake images.

WEEKLY EXPLAINER
🏙 How to report your quality-of-life issues in Bangkok

What to know: If you experience urban problems in the city, like persistent flooding, broken sidewalks, noise or overflowing trash, you can directly report them to city authorities through a platform called Traffy Fondue.

How it works: To file a report, simply provide the location of the problem, describe the issue and attach relevant images. It’s accessible LINE @TraffyFondue or its website.

What to expect: In July, the average response time is five hours and 51 minutes, with an average resolution time is one day and 23 hours, according to its website. You can follow up on reports and view those submitted by other users.

For non-Thai speakers: The city launched the English version in April. You can access directly at tourist.traffy.in.th.

By the numbers: Since its Bangkok inception, the platform has received more than 1 million reports, with nearly 820,000 cases resolved.

🗨️ Got a question about how something works in Bangkok? Reply to this email or hit me up at [email protected]. I’ll break it down in a future explainer!

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