Government : Clean Up Cambodia Street Trash

The Cambodian government has ordered a campaign to clean up garbage
that is piling up on the streets of Phnom Penh the capital all for the
sake of tourists.

The Phnom Penh Post reported yesterday that Tourism Minister, Thong
Khon, said the capital would look better and appeal more to tourists
"if there was not so much paper and plastic flying around and piling
up on the streets."

Cambodia's government is keen to nurture a positive tourism image, but
the reality is that the quality of life for citizens has remained
largely unchanged despite the billions earned from tourism over the
last 15 years.

Most of the revenue goes to the pockets of corporations with close
links to the administration.

This is illustrated by the substantial profits earned from daily
tourist fee charges at Angkor Wat, that are not used to improve the
standard of living of citizens in Siem Reap.

Cleaning up the streets is way down the priority list for most
Cambodians, but tourism officials such as Mr Thong Khon would like
them to clean up their act to ensure the country can turn a profit
from eco-tourism or earn what he calls "green gold" for a privileged
few.

"It's difficult to get this to work. There needs to be participation
from the public. Trash is a big challenge for developing green
tourism," he said.

He said the government will ask Cambodians to cut back on their use of
plastic and paper products.

Cambodia imported almost 56,000 tonnes of plastic last year, up 21%
from the year before, according to a project document.

More than 18% of Cambodia's waste is inorganic, and the project would
focus on reducing the percentage of trash first in the capital, Phnom
Penh, which has 1,300 tonnes of sitting waste, of which 16% is plastic
and 3% paper.

"We can't eliminate plastic in the short term, but reduction is very
important. If we want to reduce it, we have to know about management
and alternatives," Mr Thong Khon said.

Phnom Penh, 15 May 2012
Source :: http://www.ttrweekly.com/site/2012/05/minister-bemoans-street-trash/