WastEd
Location
Krabi, Southern Thailand
Duration
Since 2018 to date
Supervision
Academic Research Director, Research Coordinator,
Focus
Waste management education
Waste management is one of the most urgent environmental and social challenges in southern Thailand.
Plastic pollution, unmanaged household waste, and organic materials that could be composted or recycled often end up in open dumps, waterways, or the ocean. This harms ecosystems, affects community health, and threatens livelihoods, especially in coastal areas dependent on tourism and fisheries.
WastEd
Currently active Projects
Precious Plastic Project
Encouraging a “reduce first” mindset while exploring ways to reuse, recycle, and upcycle plastics through the Precious Plastic model. Potential solutions include setting up shredding and melting machines to transform certain plastics into 3D printing filament, alongside other creative approaches to give discarded materials a new life.
Circular Economy & Waste Awareness
Educating local communities and schools about sustainable waste practices, from setting up compost piles at home to avoiding toxic materials and preventing open-air burning. These workshops also cover the benefits of sorting waste correctly and adopting alternatives to single-use plastics.
Zero Waste Events
Collaborating with local government and event organizers to manage waste at festivals and community gatherings, ensuring proper sorting and encouraging vendors to adopt eco-friendly packaging and materials.
Beach Cleanups & Microplastic Surveys
Organizing coastal cleanups and conducting microplastic monitoring to track pollution levels and raise awareness of its impacts on marine life.
Beach Cleanups & Microplastic Surveys
SCUBA diver-led efforts to remove discarded nets, fishing gear, and debris from coral reefs and seagrass meadows
Net Free Seas Project
Partnering with the Environmental Justice Foundation of Thailand to support their Net Free Seas initiative, which collects abandoned fishing nets and repurposes or recycles them instead of letting them pollute the ocean. We help raise awareness locally and connect more people and communities to this important effort.
WastEd
Impact
WastEd addresses these challenges through practical, community-driven solutions that turn waste into resources. Our work promotes circular economy approaches focused on reducing, reusing, and repurposing materials.
Projects include recycling initiatives, biogas systems, zero-waste events, beach cleanups, microplastic surveys, and education programs that support schools, businesses, and communities in adopting more sustainable practices.
WastEd works alongside our ReGen program as part of the Regenerative Living Focus for volunteers, interns, and apprentices. Together, the two programs offer a complete approach to sustainability, addressing existing waste while supporting earth-based practices that prevent waste at its source.
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Krabi, Thailand