Siem Reap will get a new rubbish dump and recycling plant later this year, in Run Ta Ek village, 30 kilometres from the city, deputy provincial governor Kim Chhaihieng said yesterday.

Both the dump and the recycling plant will sit on 30 hectares of government land and cost about $13 million. Chhaihieng said the city had recently started running out of space for its solid refuse.

“Fortunately, we have just recently got a major project from the government of South Korea,” he said.

South Korea will manage most of the construction while the authorities will prepare the land and educate people on how to separate their waste.

The plant will be able to recycle 300 tonnes of garbage daily into compost, biogas and other materials.

Siem Reap produces about 270 tonnes of garbage per day. Some of the waste is burned, buried or dumped in streets and canals, which poses a health risk and makes the city uglier, Chhaihieng said.