Tonle Sap Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Sector Project: An ADB-funded Latrine-Building Project in Cambodia
| KOICA, UNEP, caps
Water and sanitation are one of the most pressing issues facing people in rural Cambodia, especially around the Tonle Sap Lake and river basin. Of particular difficulty for sanitation advocates in Cambodia is the old habit of open defecation, with the result of exposing human excreta to the environment. This leads to water and soil contamination and to widespread disease outbreaks. For the many ‘floating communities’ of people living on the lake itself, this is an even larger problem, due to their direct contact with the water. The UN estimated that, in 2008, only 23\% of rural residents and 82\% of urban residents had access to improved sanitation, which means the country still has a long way to go to achieving ‘sanitation for all’. Indeed, rural water coverage is the second lowest in Asia, while infant mortality rates – due in part to high levels of waterborne disease – are the second highest in Asia.
These guidelines aim to provide a framework for preventing recycling-related plastic and pellet losses, and environmental leakage. The guidelines are useful for a broad spectrum of stakeholders, particularly policymakers and key plastic recycling actors, including informal waste pickers, junkshops, consolidators, and plastic recycling craft villages. The application of these guidelines is expected to contribute to improving production efficiency in the plastic recycling chain while preventing plastic leakage into the environment.
The manual aim to support both formal and informal recycling enterprises in preventing plastic pollution by advocating best practices and promoting proper housekeeping within informal recycling facilities.
The main goal of this study is to evaluate plastic and pellet losses and leakage from the logistical handling and pre-processing operations of informal recycling groups in Thailand, focusing on recovered post-consumer plastic waste and factory processing operations. The focus areas of this study are the Nonthaburi Municipality and Pattaya City.
This study was conducted following on a simplified three-step approach: 1) collect and analyse data and information relevant to plastic leakage from informal sector recycling; 2) engage with key stakeholders; and 3) disseminate the outcomes of the study.
