Overview of the Waste Management Sector in Cambodia, prior to October 2019 and the decision for the Government of Cambodia to buy out Cintri (Cambodia), the private company contracted to collect and dispose of waste in the capital city, Phnom Penh. Link: https://www.khmertimeskh.com/50653397/government-will-buy-cintri-pm/ This presentation is a summary of our study into Investment Opportunities in the Cambodian Waste Management Sector, conducted on behalf of the GIZ Global Business Network Program, and originally presented at the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung waste summit, 2019. Link: https://www.facebook.com/kaskambodscha/

1. WASTE MANAGEMENT
IN CAMBODIA
OVERVIEW AND OPPORTUNITIES
Wednesday, October 2, 2019

2. 1. WASTE GENERATION & FORECAST
2. MUNICIPAL SOLID WASTE (MSW)
• Generation
• Management
3. INDUSTRIAL WASTE
• Generation
• Management
4. RECYCLING
• Barriers
• Positives
5. OPPORTUNITIES
PRESENTATION OVERVIEW

3. Source 1: World Bank
Source 2: MoE
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018
Billions
GDP (current $)1
317k 352k 397k
484k 518k 563k 570k 635k
933k 990k
1.089m
2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014
Waste collected & transported to landfill in Cambodia2
(Tons / Year)
As Cambodia’s economy grows, so does the waste generated….
WASTE GENERATION
TODAY

4. Source: Institut de technologie du Cambodge
WASTE GENERATION
FORECAST 2030
To the point where waste generated is expected to cause significant public health
and environmental challenges in the future..
Waste Generated Phnom Penh (tons / day)
~2000 tons / day today → ~3200 tons / day in 2030

5. MUNICIPAL SOLID WASTE
PHNOM PENH
Source: Phnom Penh Capital Administration. (2018). Waste Management Strategy.
and Action Plan of Phnom Penh 2018-2035
• ~50% of recorded disposed waste in Cambodia was generated in Phnom Penh (2017)
• Phnom Penh generated >17 x more waste than Battambang, the next largest city, with 10 x the
population.
• In 2018, 23.4% of the population were living in cities → 36% expected by 2050.
• Today around 70% of generated MSW ends up in landfill.
• Resources are already stretched, and the Dangkor landfill is expected to fill in coming years
0
100,000
200,000
300,000
400,000
500,000
600,000
700,000
800,000
900,000
2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017
MSW Disposal at Landfill - Phnom Penh (tons)
Phnom Penh represents the greatest challenge…

6. 2%
2%
2%
2%
10%
10%
21%
51%
Wood
Glass
Textiles
Rubber
Other
Paper
Plastic
Organic Waste55%
17%
14%
8%
5%
1%
Household Hotel Restaurant Market Shop Office
Sources of MSW Generated1 MSW composition at Generation Point2
MUNICIPAL SOLID WASTE
GENERATION
Source 1: The Asia Foundation. (2013).
Source 2: Phnom Penh Capital Administration. (2018).
Household organic and plastic waste form the largest waste components, but there
are few businesses that process this waste, and limited drivers preventing it.

7. ❖ Decentralization
• Sub Decree 36, 1999
• Sub Decree 113, 2015
• Prakas No. 195, 2018
❖ 2 Main Companies
• CINTRI: Phnom Penh, Kampong Cham,
Battambang (previously in Sihanoukville)
• GAEA: Siem Reap, Kampot, Kampong Thom and
Bantaey Meanchey
❖ Smaller Cities
• Local companies, limited technical capacity
• Some companies only collect waste from markets
and households nearby, who will consistently pay
collection fees.
MUNICIPAL SOLID WASTE
MANAGEMENT: CAMBODIA
Despite this, the large cities represent the best examples of MSW collection..

8. MUNICIPAL SOLID WASTE
MANAGEMENT: PHNOM PENH
Responsible for collecting,
transporting waste
• 49 year contract with Phnom
Penh Capital Administration
• CINTRI is automatically
responsible for the
expansion of Phnom Penh
CINTRI..
Any activities involving
collection or transportation
will require an agreement
with CINTRI as its the only
subcontractor legally
operating in Phnom Penh
But faces significant
challenges…
• Traffic congestion
• Road conditions (some areas)
• Obstacles obtaining
collection fees
• Lack of pre-segregation

9. 60%
15%
10%
5% 5% 5%
Textile Sludge Leather Paper Plastic Others
INDUSTRIAL WASTE
GENERATION
Composition of Industrial Waste
collected by Sarom Trading
Collected industrial waste mostly comes from Cambodia’s garment sector, and
mostly from Phnom Penh and Kandal province. Sarom is the largest company..
Source: Phnom Penh Capital Administration. (2018)

10. Source: Phnom Penh Capital Administration. (2018)
INDUSTRIAL WASTE
MANAGEMENT
• In Phnom Penh and Kandal, Sarom Trading collects & transports industrial waste
• In other provinces, local companies collect and dispose industrial waste
• PPSEZ has plans to establish is own industrial waste organisation with GOMI
173k 181k
201k 194k
178k 182k
75k 66k
109k
161k
207k
2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014
Industrial Waste Collected by Sarom Trading (m3)
But the license is not exclusive to Sarom Trading…

11. 0
2,000
4,000
6,000
8,000
10,000
12,000
2009 2019 2009 2019 2009 2019 2009 2019 2009 2019
TV PC Refrigerator Air conditioner Washing machine
Metric
tons
Reusable
Recyclable
Residues
E-WASTE
GENERATION & MANAGEMENT
The growth of E-waste reflects Cambodia’s changing consumption patterns. Valuable
E-waste components are often collected and exported by informal waste pickers.
Source: Phnom Penh Capital Administration. (2018)

12. RECYCLING
BARRIERS & CHALLENGES
No pre-segregation at the
source from waste generator
(households & corporate)
• High cost to separate
waste once the waste is
mixed-up and collected
Lack of awareness / concern
• Reluctant to implement
practices in favor of recycling
• Economic necessity for
microbusinesses
• Packaging used to be organic
(banana leaf), people could
dump it without affecting
environment
Difficulties for all players to
implement a classic
sustainable business model:
• Willingness to pay

13. • Promising composting plants (NGOs & private
sector)
• GOMI to open plastic recycling facilities within PPSEZ
and in Svay Rieng province (project supported by
JICA).
• COMPED is partnering with German company SUND
to recycle plastic granules (early stages)
• Initiative launched by GAEA to recycle glass to sand
in Siem Reap (early stages)
• Use of garment waste to supply cement kilns by
Chip Mong INSEE
KEY ROLE OF THE INFORMAL SECTOR
• Plastic bottles, cans and cardboard are collected
by waste pickers and sold to middlemen
• Middlemen export waste to neighboring countries
RECYCLING
SIGNIFICANT INITIATIVES
There are positive business-oriented initiatives…

14. OPPORTUNITIES
PRIVATE SECTOR
COMPOSTING
• Large amount of organic
waste generated
• Demand for organic fertilizers
in Cambodia is increasing
• Relatively simple process for
recycling
• Civil society organisations
can support initiatives
launched by the private
sector
PLASTIC RECYCLING
• Large quantity of plastic
generated
• Plastic granules can be
exported
• Potential partners amongst
waste generators
(companies with a CSR
policy, hotels)
• Very low competition
• Ban of plastic waste imports
in Thailand (2020) and
Vietnam (2025), may mean
more remains in Cambodia..
INDUSTRIAL WASTE
• International companies
producing in Cambodia
do not want to see their
products end in open
dumpsites
• Possibility to obtain a
license from the MoE to
operate

15. Green Business Forum 2019
10 October
Register at:
eurocham-cambodia.org | Tel: 010 871 138

16. QUESTIONS
GUILLAUME MALTAVERNE
M: +855 (0)10 871 950
E: outreach.officer@eurocham-
cambodia.org
THOMAS HESKETH
M: +855 (0) 1088 1950
E: t.hesketh@eurocham-
cambodia.org