Cambodia Rural Students Trust (CRST) – run by an Australian family, with the support of the Ministry of Environment – will train 40,000 students at schools in Siem Reap province for four months beginning August to adopt a plastic-free culture.
Students of the environmental education project will undergo six lessons to ensure they practice the 4R principle, which is refuse, reduce, reuse and recycle, said ministry spokesman Neth Pheaktra in a Facebook post on April 4.
Participating schools will receive plastic waste bins and water filters from the ministry.
According to the post, Pheaktra met with CRST president Aviv Palti who shared a progress update on the organisation’s implementation of the projects.
He said CRST reaffirmed its plans to work with the government to inculcate the importance of a clean environment and contribute to environmental sanitation in the community and schools located in districts around Angkor Cultural Tourism Area.
The project is to also make sure the school communities surrounding the Angkor World Heritage Site remain beautiful and free of plastic waste.
CRST has been active since 2011, organising programmes to educate rural Cambodian youths and has implemented ministry-supported projects, where it provided clean water, in 57 schools.
Pheaktra pointed out that the Aviv Palti family had carried out many student-based activities and projects in rural areas to educate them on hygiene and reduce plastic waste in target areas.
The organisation also provides clean water for students while helping them reduce expenses by providing bottles and clean water as well as implementing “zero plastic village” projects.
“The clean water project provides a source of quality clean water for students to consume and helps promote wellbeing, hygiene and environmental sustainability for people,” he said.
Aviv had not responded to questions by press time.
