The first time I ordered a drink for takeaway in Siem Reap, the blaring reality of plastic waste in Cambodia slid across the counter to greet me. My iced cappuccino was housed in a plastic cup with a plastic lid. The cappuccino came with a plastic straw and a tiny plastic container with simple syrup. The barista then cocooned the drink in a plastic bag for easier transport via motorbike.
Understanding the Plastic Problem in Cambodia
Unfortunately, plastic does not biodegrade like other materials. This means remnants of that iced cappuccino might be on this earth for upwards of 500 years before starting to decompose.
Sadly, plastic consumption is a component of daily life in Cambodia. The issue of plastic use in Southeast Asia is complex, often compounded by growing economies and an increase in urbanization. In short, there is a lack of proper infrastructure to deal with the intensification of plastic use.
This is an increasing cause for alarm amongst activists. Plastic waste can cause serious health ramifications!
Impacts of Plastic
The United Nations Development Program estimates that 91% of plastic is not appropriately recycled globally. Furthermore, due to Cambodia's lack of infrastructure and resources, plastic waste is often burnt, buried, or littered into waterways or other green spaces. Over time, this waste breaks down into microplastics. These particles are destructive to groundwater, soil, and air quality. Microplastics cause detrimental impacts on the environment and the lives of local people.
Plastics can find their way into our food chains and atmosphere when improperly disposed of.
Plastic in green spaces takes a long time to decompose. When it does start breaking down, dangerous chemicals are leached into the soil. Plastic particles damage soil health, negatively impacting food quality worldwide. Subsequently, this can contribute to a rise in food insecurity.
Additionally, when plastic is littered into waterways or oceans, it harms wildlife. For example, sea turtles are notorious for accidentally ingesting plastic. These endangered animals often confuse plastic bags with jellyfish, leading to intestinal blockages and starvation. However, plastic waste does not only affect wildlife—it also seriously harms people.
For example, burning plastic is a common practice in Cambodia. Unfortunately, this releases toxic chemicals into the air and heightens the risk of respiratory diseases. While contributing to air pollution, burning plastic also creates more carcinogens in the atmosphere. These pollutants significantly contribute to various cancers. The Ocean Blue Project found:
“the effects of plastic pollution on human health are far-reaching, from cancer and reproductive issues to respiratory diseases and neurological problems.”
Education on Plastic
While the harsh reality of plastic in Cambodia is a complicated systemic issue that will take years and a multitude of resources to fix, education is an essential factor in facilitating change.
That's why we're committed to raising awareness about plastic use among our students.
In one of our recent science courses, two of our volunteers, Andrew and Sue, integrated a lesson on plastic consumption into their curriculum. Students were asked to document how many plastic bottles, cups, spoons, straws, clam-shell boxes, and gloves they used within a period of five days.
The results were enlightening.
In the two classes, ranging from 13 to 14 students, it was reported that the younger students collectively used 250 pieces of plastic, while the older students recorded around 400 pieces.
Andrew then asked students to imagine how much plastic 360 students might use in one week. If the average plastic use between a class of 27 students is around 325 pieces, the school will use approximately 4,333 pieces weekly. This equates to 17,333 pieces of plastic monthly and a staggering 208,000 pieces of plastic every year.
"Can you visualize what that much plastic would look like in this classroom?" Andrew questioned, coaxing students to imagine the towering heap of plastic that would be avalanching out of the room.
Continuing the lesson, he then encouraged the students to consider how much of that plastic could be avoided by reusing or repurposing. For example, it's important to wonder: what items, such as plastic bottles or cups, could be reused?
Helping Hands Efforts to Reduce Plastic
At Helping Hands, we try to limit plastic use by giving each student their own bowl and silverware for meals with our Breakfast Programme.
However, plastic still inevitably winds up on campus. Recently, some of our volunteers painted five bins to encourage students to sort out plastic from compost and other trash items. This helps to prevent plastic from being buried or littered! By showing students the importance of protecting our green spaces, we are slowly redirecting plastic waste from harming garden soil and nearby waterways.
These little redirections are a good start to keeping plastic out of food systems. Little steps like this ultimately promote healthier lives for the students and community members of Prasat Char.
