Progress in the Improvement of Solid Waste Management in Phnom Penh Capital ：Part 1
JICA Technical cooperation Project at the Grass-roots Level
October 2020
Ken SAWADA‚ Executive Technical Advisor
Town meeting held in each quarter (a draft was being made for an action plan considering residents’ opinions)
Let me talk about the activities of the awareness-raising team.
We investigated the status quo and the waste management problems in the five quarters (the administrative units called Sangkats) in Phnom Penh Capital City in January 2019 and shared their results with residents at the town meeting in April.
We also learned about things that would be necessary to solve these problems from examples in Japan.
In June‚ we held a workshop for residents about solving waste problems and prepared a draft of an action plan incorporating their opinions.
In August‚ the deputy governor‚ officials of environmental department in Phnom Penh and the chiefs of the quarters visited Kitakyushu city for training on the comprehensive waste disposal process‚ from the sorting and collecting of waste‚ its transportation‚ to intermediate treatment‚ incineration‚ recycling‚ disposal in landfills and learning of the importance of resident‚ government‚ industry‚ and academia collaboration.
Then‚ having completed an action plan‚ we are putting it into practice.
The composition analysis in October found that food waste accounted for about a half of waste‚ which was followed by single-use plastic product waste.
The waste pickers collect loads of valuable waste such as plastic bottles and paper while the remaining waste was left uncollected.
This January‚ the teacher of the Board of Education‚ Kitakyushu city‚ had model class on environmental issue to the fifth-grade students at two elementary schools in the target area.
The students discussed the waste problem seriously.
This resulted in their increased determination to solve the waste problem.
One year has passed since we started the activities.
We will be reaching a critical stage soon. We would like to support Phnom Penh in their step-by-step improvement of solid waste management.
