PHNOM PENH: Prime Minister Hun Sen has called on citizens to be careful not to throw their garbage out in the open and on the streets, to maintain the beauty of the city, as well as to maintain the quality of the sewage system.
While speaking at the groundbreaking ceremony for the construction of Boeung Choeung Ek wastewater treatment plant in Meanchey district, Phnom Penh on Tuesday morning, Prime Minister Hun Sen stated that the concern of Phnom Penh at this time is that the people do not keep the streets clean and throw their garbage properly. He said some garbage is thrown into sewers, which clogs the drainage system and causes problems such as flooding when it rains.
He continued that despite the proliferation of separate garbage bins for solid waste and liquid waste, there are some citizens who still refuse to separate their trash accordingly. The Prime Minister thus appealed to residents and visitors of Phnom Penh to pay attention to the correct system of garbage separation to keep the environment clean with a shared sense of responsibility.
He said, "How can we blame the city cleaners? If you scatter the garbage yourself and complain to the authorities that they are not taking responsibility for the garbage disposal, [it is] you [who] scattered the garbage yourself. […] Should be ashamed of children, now they are educated by teachers, and sometimes children are better than adults. They know how to manage the garbage so well, they eat and they put their trash at the proper place. This is a call that is simple, it is not difficult, but when we make it difficult, it becomes difficult and who is it difficult for? It is difficult for all of us.”
The Prime Minister added that the consumption-rate in Phnom Penh is increasing, which has also increased the amount of garbage produced in a day – currently around 3,000 tons of garbage is collected per day.
In Phnom Penh, the amount of garbage collected per day has been steadily increasing, from around 2,600 in 2018 to around 2,900 tons in 2019. At present, the landfill is unable to accommodate for the increased amount of garbage produced in Phnom Penh yet, which is a major challenge that requires an urgent solution.
