On August 9, 2024, the Faculty of Engineering, Mahidol University, represented by the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, in collaboration with the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) under the project "Strengthening Plastic Pollution Management in Asia and the Pacific," organized a training session on the use of CCTV cameras to detect plastic waste in rivers. The event took place at the Richmond Stylish Convention Hotel, Nonthaburi Province, and aimed to develop technology for monitoring and assessing plastic waste in rivers before it reaches the sea. It also provided an opportunity for stakeholders to exchange knowledge, develop, and enhance their skills with modern technology in monitoring and assessing the volume of plastic in rivers, leading to more effective management of marine plastic waste. The event was chaired by Dr. Sayaka Ono, a representative from the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), and Asst. Prof. Dr. Korporn Panyim, Deputy Dean for Administration, Research, and Innovation from the Faculty of Engineering. Dr. Kittiphon Boonma and his team from the Geoinformatics Center, Asian Institute of Technology (GIC AIT), delivered a lecture on the working system of pLitter CCTV and demonstrated the system at Wat Bang Bua, Bangkok.

The training aimed to equip participants with the knowledge and skills needed to address the issue of plastic pollution in rivers using modern pLitter CCTV technology. Participants learned about the sources, impacts, and challenges related to plastic pollution on aquatic ecosystems and gained insights into the workings of the pLitter CCTV system, including the use of image processing and artificial intelligence to detect and track plastic waste in rivers. By the end of the training, participants were prepared to play a key role in finding effective solutions to this critical environmental problem.