MARINE DEBRIS

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Year: 2024 Publisher: Resilience Development Initiative (RDI) and iDE Keyword: Horticulture, Plastic waste management, Microplastics, Environmental impact, Circular economy, Multistakeholder Collaboration
A Study of Horticulture Plastic Products: Environmental Impact in Cambodia
Publisher: Resilience Development Initiative (RDI) and iDE
Year: 2024
Country: Cambodia
Category: 3RproMar
Waste Theme: Marine Debris
Keyword: Horticulture, Plastic waste management, Microplastics, Environmental impact, Circular economy, Multistakeholder Collaboration

Agriculture has been the backbone of the Cambodian economy for centuries. In recent years, the sector has undergone a period of rapid growth and transformation, driven by a number of factors, including increased investment, improved productivity, and expanded trade. The horticulture sector in Cambodia is an important part of the agricultural economy due to a rapidly increasing urban consumption demand for fruits and vegetables. In spite of this, horticultural plastic products may have a negative environmental impact if the waste management is not done properly. This study was conducted to estimate the use of horticultural plastics and plastic waste management by farmers in Cambodia. The results showed that plastic mulch is the most commonly used horticultural plastic, followed by driplines and plastic nets. The estimated potential horticultural plastic usage is approximately 515,450 tonnes/year, which accounts for up to 12% of waste generation throughout Cambodia. Farmers agree that improper plastic waste management could negatively affect the environment and health of the community, but the majority of farmers burn or bury their plastic waste due to the lack of waste management infrastructure in rural areas. The study also found plastic remnants in horticultural fields in the form of macroplastics and microplastics, which can cause negative impacts on human health and the environment. The study suggests several possible interventions to reduce the negative impact of horticultural plastics, including increasing the circularity of plastic products and developing alternatives for agricultural plastic products. These interventions can be made possible by multistakeholder collaboration, namely farmers, governments, private sectors, and NGOs.

The kNOwWaste Knowledge Platform was developed through a Project Cooperation Agreement funding by UNEP on 2016. The platform provides data and information on holistic waste management to stakeholders in Asia and the Pacific region. The platform was developed with the following aims: generate and consolidate data or information on holistic waste management, transform data into easily comprehensible outputs for use by key stakeholders, map out and disseminate information on international waste management projects under the GPWM and UNEP projects as well as other international partners, and provide capacity building support through dissemination of data or information support for relevant stakeholders on holistic waste and waste management system.
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