Safety
Chiang Rai Model Aims to Curb PM2.5 Through Agricultural Waste Management
Deputy Prime Minister Yotschanan Wongsawat visited Chiang Rai to promote the 'Stop Burning, Fill Your Pockets' initiative, which turns agricultural waste into a revenue stream to combat seasonal air pollution.
On August 29, 2026, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Higher Education, Science, Research and Innovation, Prof. Dr. Yotschanan Wongsawat, alongside Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Cooperatives Piyarat Tiyapairat, visited Mae Chan District, Chiang Rai, to review the 'Stop Burning, Fill Your Pockets' (Lerk Phao Pao Tung) project.
This initiative aims to address the root causes of PM2.5 air pollution in Northern Thailand by incentivizing farmers to stop burning agricultural waste. Instead, the project facilitates the sale of these materials to private sector partners, creating a sustainable income source. According to project data, the initiative successfully reduced agricultural waste by 330,000 kilograms over a four-month period. The government plans to scale the 'PMUC Zero Burn to Earn' model across the Northern region.
For residents and travelers, this initiative is significant as it represents a proactive government effort to mitigate the severe seasonal haze that often impacts air quality in the North. While current air quality remains within healthy ranges, the government is emphasizing early intervention. It remains to be confirmed how effectively this model can be scaled to other provinces and whether the private sector's commitment to purchasing 30 million baht worth of waste annually will be sustained in the long term.