Thailand launches first e-waste calculator platform

By Elena Vasquez

Thailand generates approximately 700,000 tonnes of electronic waste annually, and less than 1% enters proper treatment, according to figures cited for the country’s new E-Waste Calculator Platform.

AIS, the Pollution Control Department (PCD) and the Thailand Greenhouse Gas Management Organization (TGO) have introduced Thailand’s first E-Waste Calculator Platform, a national measurement framework that turns collection records into waste totals, estimated greenhouse-gas reductions and downloadable reports.

What does the calculator measure?

Participating organizations record the types and quantities of e-waste they collect. The system calculates waste quantities and estimates greenhouse-gas reductions under established criteria, then produces downloadable PDF and Excel reports.

The reports help organizations monitor performance, plan e-waste activities and prepare sustainability reports. Aggregated records also support nationwide analysis and planning, giving PCD a way to track products collected and treated.

The division of labor is explicit: AIS contributes technology and its partner network, PCD contributes policy, regulatory and pollution-management expertise, and TGO contributes standards and greenhouse-gas calculation.

The collaboration adds a measurement layer, not announced recycling capacity. AIS invites organizations, government agencies and partners across sectors to adopt the system, which the company says will increase e-waste entering proper recycling and treatment.

Organizations can begin recording collections through the E-Waste Calculator Platform.

How large is the collection gap?

AIS’s “Thais Say No to E-Waste” initiative has built a network of more than 280 partner organizations and over 3,200 collection points nationwide.

Since 2019, the initiative has collected 1,301,912 items weighing 288,346.74 kilograms, or 288.35 tonnes. AIS estimates the effort has reduced greenhouse-gas emissions by 130,700 kilograms of carbon equivalent.

For scale, that 288.35-tonne cumulative total equals about 0.04% of Thailand’s annual 700,000-tonne waste stream, though the campaign figure covers only AIS’s collection network rather than the entire national stream.

What does the draft EPR law change?

Deputy Permanent Secretary Prasert Sirinapaporn of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment said:

“The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment places great importance on strengthening Thailand’s e-waste management system, from take-back, collection and sorting to proper recycling or disposal.

“We are advancing the draft Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Management Act based on the principle of Extended Producer Responsibility, while also encouraging and supporting voluntary private-sector cooperation in e-waste management.”

Sirinapaporn calls the initiative an example of public and private data integration. Extending that cooperation to local administrative organizations and residents could turn policy into community action, prepare future legislation, promote resource recovery under circular-economy principles, and reduce pollution and greenhouse gases.

What do operators gain from common data?

Kantima Lerlertyuttitham, AIS deputy chief executive officer and chief corporate officer, said: “At AIS, we believe that building a sustainable world requires cooperation across all sectors.”

“Through our ‘Thoughtful Mission,’ we have continued to advance the ‘Thais Say No to E-Waste’ initiative with our partner network to promote proper sorting and management of electronic waste. Sustainable e-waste management goes beyond collection.

“It requires reliable data and clear measurement standards to demonstrate tangible environmental outcomes. We believe technology delivers real value when it turns the intention to protect the environment into action that produces meaningful results.”

For operators, the platform supplies a common record of material type, quantity, waste calculation and emissions estimate, plus reports they can use for sustainability disclosure. It narrows the gap between a collection count and a comparable environmental outcome.

How can collection and treatment catch up?

PCD Director General Surin Worakijthamrong said limited collection capacity leaves some end-of-life products outside proper treatment. Some devices enter general waste or get dismantled improperly, risking hazardous-substance contamination and harm to public health.

PCD’s joint project with AIS and TGO focuses on end-of-life mobile phones and accessories. Its aim is a systematic take-back mechanism that sends products to recycling or environmentally sound disposal under established technical and environmental standards.

PCD also plans to help local administrative organizations expand collection points and improve public understanding of sorting and return practices. Platform data should let the department track quantities collected and treated, improve operational planning and extend implementation into local areas.

Surin expects that connection to increase collection efficiency and reduce improper e-waste management. The announced work changes measurement and coordination first; physical collection and treatment capacity still has to grow.

What role do carbon credits play?

TGO Executive Director Narkorn Takkavirapat said e-waste management can recover materials and reduce emissions associated with making new ones, but credible claims require clear, reliable calculation criteria.

TGO worked with AIS on Thailand’s first method for calculating greenhouse-gas reductions from sorting mobile-phone e-waste for recycling under the Low Emission Support Scheme, or LESS. The method uses criteria the agency describes as transparent, verifiable and consistent.

Looking ahead, TGO aims to support a methodology for T-VER carbon-credit projects, which could add incentives for sectors to manage e-waste more effectively. That methodology remains an announced objective rather than an operating credit program.

AIS also frames the national framework as a foundation for an ASEAN knowledge hub, with knowledge sharing and standardized practices. The announcement sets no mandatory adoption date, tonnage target or legislative timetable.

What decides what happens next?

The milestone is regulatory: whether the ministry advances the EPR-based draft Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Management Act and whether final rules connect to the calculator. Until then, common measurement can expose the route from collection to treatment, but it cannot close the treatment gap by itself.