Waste: A matter that needs to be resolved
When Cambodians discovered there were 83 shipping containers filled with rubbish disguised as recyclable plastic waste shipped from the US and Canada, they were outraged.
With waste management already a problem throughout the country, the last thing Cambodia needed was waste from another country.
“Cambodia is not a dustbin where foreign countries can dispose of out-of-date waste,” declared Ministry of Environment spokesperson Neth Pheaktra.
Unlike countries such as the US and Canada that can ship their waste abroad, Cambodia does not have that luxury and must deal with the issue head-on.
For decades, the global trade in recyclable rubbish saw rich countries in the West send their used plastic waste to Asia – especially China – to be recycled.
