Documents

Kratie Municipality, situated along the Mekong River, is located 340 kilometers from Phnom Penh. Known for its sandy beaches and as a habitat for the endangered Irrawaddy dolphins the town is home to a population of 32,939. Kratie’s economy largely revolves around agriculture, including rice and corn farming, fishing, and rubber and cassava plantations, along with a growing business, tourism, and professional sector. Kratie faced significant waste management challenges prior to the 3RproMar initiative, with just over half of households having waste collection services and much of the waste being disposed of in an unsustainable open dumping site. Inadequate infrastructure, limited budget, and a lack of public awareness about waste segregation led to widespread littering, dumping, and burning, contributing to plastic leakage and other environmental impacts directly affecting the Mekong River. Additionally, informal waste workers played a key role in recycling, but their efforts were unregulated, resulting in inconsistent practices and at times posing health risks.

This final report for the 3RproMar Kratie Pilot provides a comprehensive overview of the initiatives undertaken to reduce marine plastic leakage in Kratie Municipality, Cambodia. Led by TAF, in collaboration with GIZ, the project aimed to improve SWM, enhance plastic recycling, and foster behavioral change among residents. Over its extended two year and nine months implementation period, the project focused on addressing the municipality's waste management challenges by designing scalable solutions to reduce plastic waste entering the marine environment while building environmental resilience.