Bangkok, Thailand, 16 July 2026—The Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI) joined representatives from two Thai government organizations and one university research institution for a field visit to a municipal solid waste landfill in Nonthaburi, a province adjacent to Bangkok. The visit was a key initial step in understanding the practicality of solutions for reducing methane emissions from solid waste disposal in Thailand.
The visit was conducted under the ASEAN-Korea Cooperation for Methane Mitigation (AKCMM), a regional program implemented by GGGI and supported by the ASEAN-Korea Cooperation Fund that addresses methane emissions.
In 2022, solid waste disposal across a large number of municipal landfills — many with uneven management standards and limited capacity for gas capture and monitoring—was a primary driver of the waste sector’s methane emissions in Thailand. The waste sector accounted for 24% of the country's methane emissions, making it the second largest source. Methane, in turn, accounted for 23% of Thailand's total greenhouse gas emissions.
To address challenges in methane reduction in the waste sector, AKCMM will support on-the-ground projects that can deliver scalable and sustainable methane reduction solutions. This will be done by selecting suitable solid waste management projects and then providing them with technical support in designing, financing, and implementing their methane reduction plans.
As an initial step, AKCMM is undertaking a technology scoping exercise. This is to review and assess a municipal solid waste landfill’s available methane mitigation technologies—including requirements, constraints, expected suitability, and implementation considerations—to establish an understanding of landfill and disposal site conditions in Thailand.
The Nonthaburi landfill visit brought together participants from the Pollution Control Department, the Department of Climate Change and Environment, King Mongkut's University of Technology Thonburi’s Joint Graduate School of Environment and Energy, and GGGI.
Participants met with the Nonthaburi Provincial Administrative Organization and the landfill facility operator to discuss current landfill management practices, operational challenges, data availability, and existing systems for leachate and landfill gas management. They also walked through key operational areas, including waste receiving and weighing areas, sorting and transfer areas, landfill cells, landfill mining, and gas collection points.
Observations from the visit helped guide AKCMM’s development of site screening criteria that reflect technical, environmental, operational, institutional, and practical factors influencing methane mitigation feasibility. The visit also helped identify which mitigation technologies are best suited to conditions similar to Nonthaburi’s.
“This technology scoping will be a tool that helps us decide which landfill is most appropriate for which technology. Then we can drill in on conducting the feasibility study. The implementation of methane reduction technologies with the selected projects will generate valuable lessons and help advance Thailand’s methane mitigation options,” said Sutima Paaopanchon, Investment Officer of AKCMM in Thailand.
About AKCMM
The ASEAN-Korea Cooperation for Methane Mitigation (AKCMM) platform is a regional initiative dedicated to advancing methane reduction across ASEAN member states.
AKCMM supports Thailand in developing a methane reduction roadmap aligned with national circumstances, improving methane emissions inventory data, and advancing pilot and feasibility activities. These efforts contribute to Thailand's NDC implementation and to broader ASEAN regional cooperation on methane mitigation. Thailand participates in the program through the Department of Climate Change and Environment (DCCE).