Durian season is upon us, and locals and tourists alike are flocking to feast on (quite possibly more than) their fair share of the aromatic “king of fruits.” The festivity is especially lively up north in Chiang Mai, where vendors say they are currently selling up to eight tons of it a day.
But with more people dining on durian, more trash is also inevitable – a lot more.
Luckily, Chiang Mai Mayor Tatsanai Puranupakorn has a solution, today ordering that a growing mountain of durian peels collected from the city’s streets, neighborhoods and markets be turned into organic compost.
The mountain of peels, roughly 100-tons worth, is situated near Rama IX Lanna Park in Mueang Chiang Mai district, according Daily News. About 60 percent of the durian peels come from markets, while the remaining 40 percent comes from households.
But the options for dealing with it aren’t as numerous as you might think. Burning the trash will lead to harmful environmental impacts, while burying it is a waste of resources, said Tatsanai.
The compost produced by the durians, along with some stray coconuts and pineapples, will be used by government agencies as well as distributed to the public.
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