Cambodia campaigns against plastic

PHNOM PENH Cambodia launched a campaign, late last week, to reduce the use of plastic bags and plastic waste that is littering streets in an effort to make the country more environmentally friendly for both local residents and visitors.
The campaign is jointly organised by Ministry of Tourism, Ministry of Environment, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO), and the Union of Youth Federations in Cambodia.
The campaign attempts to reduce the use of plastic and encourage more recycling of plastic waste that is littering the streets of towns and tourist destinations.
inside no 2Local media quoted Tourism Minister Thong Khon saying: “The campaign encourages people to cut plastic bag use and stop littering plastic waste in order to improve the beauty of our country.”
It also encourages Cambodians to consider a change of lifestyle that relies too much on plastic containers and packaging.
In Cambodia, it is common to see people drop plastic bags on the ground immediately after use, or leave litter by the side of the road for rubbish collectors.
“We need to work together to reduce our use of plastic bags and instead use natural things that do not impact on the environment, such as banana leaves and lotus leaves,” the minster said.
Wrapping goods in banana and lotus leaves was the norm in wet markets and among street sellers until the mid-’90s, but natural packaging has disappeared, replaced by the plastic bags that litter roadsides and choke storm drains.
Plastic bags are made up of potentially harmful chemicals. It is not biodegradable and causes damage to the environment. They also are health hazard particularly plastic bottles used for drinking water that contain chemicals that can cause cancer and are now banned in many countries.

sourced:ttrweekly.com