Phitsanulok

Background Information

The development of a highly integrated low-carbon city is the policy of the municipal government conducted since 1997 to create a sense of social responsibility among citizens, in order to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases. We view public participation as a means of success. We turn innovative ideas into practice, seek cooperation from the public, and promote the concept of a low-carbon city among the public. 

Goals of the Initiative

•To be a model low-carbon city by 2019.

•To increase the 3R products by 40 percent and adopt garbage separation at source as a standard practice through community-based waste management (CBM) by 2019.

•In 1996, the municipality introduced mechanical biological waste treatment (MBT). By-products from MBT are 50 percent refuse-derived fuel (RDF). The municipality aims to achieve zero landfill by 2017.

•To increase greenery area per capita to 10 square meters by 2022.

•To increase the ratio of natural gas used as a substitute for fossil fuels for public service vehicles to 20 percent by 2019.

•To establish a systematic MRV for greenhouse gas emission reduction by 2017.

Innovation for the Initiative

The initiative on integrated low-carbon city development and MRV-able created by Phisanulok municipality is a continuous policy to improve living and environmental conditions. Based on lessons learnt, the government realized our responsibility toward the planet and the next generations. Phitsanulok municipality has started its initiative on low-carbon city by improving waste management, and finally the municipality has received technical support from GIZ of Germany and has sought cooperation from residents successfully. The municipality has expanded the work to other environmental issues such as greenery area and community-based waste management (CBM). In 2006, the municipality has applied MBT prior to landfill. It extends the lifetime of the landfill to 2036 and reduces GHG emissions by 80 percent. MBT can generate RDF which has equal calorific value to coal. The municipality has cooperated with the SCI Eco Service Sale Ltd to use RDF as a coal substitute in cement kilns. In 2013, the municipality planned to reduce GHG emissions from organic waste and established a measuring, reporting and verifying (MRV) system toward a low-carbon city. 

Outcomes and Assessments

Outcomes from the initiatives can be divided into various aspects as follows:

•Waste management: The municipality has adopted the solid waste treatment system that can reduce GHG emissions by 80 percent when compared with conventional sanitary landfills (by using an IGES GHG calculator).

•Residents, communities and relevant stakeholders are aware of environmental problems and take public service into consideration when making decisions. As a result, participation in waste separation at source has increased to 25 percent.

•For MRV on GHG emissions, the municipality has developed a systematic energy use mechanism which can be used as a baseline for proper decision making for further environmental development.

•More than 35 organizations are members of the project network including waste buyer shops. It can create jobs and income for residents.

•The municipality’s greenery area has increased from one square meter per capita in 1996 to six in 2014. Also, a database of trees was developed.

•The use of natural gas as a substitute for fossil fuels for public service vehicles has risen to 12 percent of total energy use.

•The municipality plans to construct green buildings in municipal areas and start to increase use of solar energy. The municipality is a model city and is expected to be the city with the lowest carbon emissions in the ASEAN region.