The National Council for Sustainable Development/Ministry of Environment

Over the last decades, a combination of rapid population growth and economic development has led to an exponential increase in the volume of solid waste, including plastic waste, in Cambodia. According to a UNDP report (2018), the country generates about 3 million tons of municipal solid waste and about 16 million tons of commercial and industrial solid waste per year. The rapidly growing volume of waste has led to several increasingly urgent problems.

In Phnom Penh, more than 3,000 tons of municipal waste is generated every day. Approximately 80% of the waste is collected and disposed of at open landfills without treatment. In poor urban areas and in rural areas without full access to municipal waste collection services, waste is often burned in the open. The remaining waste is disposed of at informal dumpsites, on streets, or into local waterways, which carries plastic waste to the Mekong River.

A recent World Bank’s research (2020) identified the large quantity of plastic litter in Phnom Penh Canals, Siem Reap Canal and Sihanoukville Beach, which potentially carry plastic debris to the Mekong River and eventually to the oceans. Major plastic litters, found in these areas, include plastic wrappers, shopping bags, bottles, and bottle caps. In Sihanoukville, in addition to the above, polystyrene pieces (known as styrofoam), and plastic fishing gears primarily nylon nets and monofilament lines are also commonly found items. The study conducted by FFI (2020) founds that plastic, mainly plastic bags and bottles, constitutes around 25 % of household waste in coastal areas (FFI 2020). Around a half of households burn plastic waste in open areas (ibid).