Trash tells Phuket's story

On Friday, images of Patong Beach in Phuket, strewn with garbage, went viral.

- 

Most of the trash consisted of single-use plastic bags, beverage cans and large numbers of beer bottles, believed to have been discarded by revellers and tourists who gathered to celebrate the New Year countdown on Dec 31.

Although the rubbish was later collected, the unpleasant images remain online, damaging the image of Phuket, long known as the Pearl of the Andaman.

Patong Beach has been part of the "Phuket Sandbox" scheme since 2022. Under the programme, the beach - one of Thailand's top tourist destinations - has served as a pilot project for waste management and environmental conservation.

Typically, Patong Municipality deploys garbage collectors to remove marine debris that sometimes washes ashore. This raises questions about how the municipality managed waste during a major tourism event.