Logo of Phnom Penh Post newspaper Phnom Penh Post - Environment ministry set to trial e-waste collection

Environment ministry set to trial e-waste collection

Content image - Phnom Penh Post
The Ministry of Environment placed disposal bins for used batteries at an additional eight supermarkets in Phnom Penh in September last year. ENVIRONMENT MINISTRY

Environment ministry set to trial e-waste collection

The Ministry of Environment is partnering with a private company to organise the safe collection of electrical waste, or e-waste. The new project comes as the ministry’s pilot battery collection scheme reaches the one year mark. Battery disposal bins have been placed in gas stations, factories and schools.

Battery and e-waste are considered hazardous. When disposed of improperly, they have negative impacts on the health of people and the environment, through the release of the dangerous substances they contain.

To prevent this, the environment ministry, in collaboration with Ecobatt Energy Cambodia, is preparing to begin the collection of e-waste across the Kingdom.

Sophal Laska, director of the Hazardous Substances Management Department of the ministry’s General Department of Environmental Protection, told The Post that the ministry will pilot the project by collecting e-waste from offices and public and private institutions.

“As we know, Cambodia does not currently have an e-waste processing plant. Minister of Environment Say Sam Al is very concerned about this lack, and is urging investment in this area,” he said.

“This is why we have partnered with Ecobatt Energy Cambodia to trial e-waste collection in the Kingdom,” he added.

The processing of this kind of waste has the potential to become an economic success story, as well as an environmental one, he said, although current processing facilities do not have the required capabilities.

The ministry will issue notification letters to several target institutions in the near future. E-waste will be added to household garbage collection services in the second phase of the trial, he added, acknowledging that many homes generate considerable amounts of e-waste.

“For example, in homes, people have computers, washing machines and refrigerators. When they break down, they generally sell them to scrap merchants or leave them outside for the scavengers to collect. Unfortunately, when they are dismantled, it is often done in ways which are unsound from an environmental point of view. Many of these kinds of goods contain heavy metals, which are dangerous,” he said.

Laska explained that the correct storage of e-waste was crucial. If it was mixed with regular household waste, it could have serious detrimental effects on the environment.

He was optimistic that Ecobatt, which has received the support of the ministry to collect e-waste, will eventually be able to implement a domestic recycling plant.

“Normally we seek out local investment, because we want to support the economy of the Kingdom. In this case, Ecobatt , an Australian company, expressed an interest. As they are investors, they will need to ascertain the quantity of e-waste which is collected, and thus determine the viability of building a processing plant here. If it is not economically feasible, we will export the waste,” he said.

The pilot battery collection project has collected almost one tonne of disposed batteries from nearly 100 locations across the country.

MOST VIEWED

  • 12th Cambodia int’l film festival to see return of Hollywood star

    Phnom Penh is set to come alive with the magic of cinema as the highly anticipated 12th Cambodia International Film Festival (CIFF) takes centre stage. Boasting an impressive line-up of 188 films from 23 countries, including captivating shorts, feature films, documentaries and animation, the festival promises an

  • Brawl marrs football final as Indonesian take gold in seven goal thriller

    The Indonesian men's U22 men national football team were crowned champions of the 32nd SEA Games in Cambodia, defeating Thailand 5-2 in extra time on May 16 at Olympic National Stadium in Phnom Penh. The match was marred by an ugly incident that occured in the 91

  • Bareknuckle champion wants Kun Khmer fighter

    Dave Leduc, who is the current openweight Lethwei boxing champion in Myanmar, has announced that he will travel to Cambodia this year to challenge SEA Games gold medallist Prum Samnang any time that is convenient, after their planned match later this month in Slovakia was

  • Candlelight Party disqualified from July general election

    The National Election Committee (NEC) has disqualified the Candlelight Party (CP) from contesting the upcoming general election, citing a lack of valid documentation. NEC spokesman Khorn Keomono said the CP failed to fulfil one of the three main requirements: including original documentation proving their registration

  • Thong Khon calls for orderly SEA Games closing ceremony

    Thong Khon, Minister of Tourism and permanent vice-president of the Cambodia SEA Games Organising Committee (CAMSOC), calls on all people who have received tickets to the May 17 closing ceremony of the biennial multi-sports extravaganza at the Morodok Techo National Stadium to ensure that the event

  • 1.4 billion dollar Phnom Penh-Bavet expressway due in four years

    The Government, through the Ministry of Public Works and Transport, has officially signed a public-private partnership agreement with a private company for the construction of a Phnom Penh-Bavet Expressway project that will connect the capital to Svay Rieng province. The budget for the project is