Handbook for Urban Poor Communities on Waste Management

Waste management continues to be a challenge for urban poor communities in Phnom Penh and other cities in Cambodia. Our linear economy revolves around a system of make, take, and dispose and is generating more and more waste each year. Although we should be moving away from this linear economy to a more circular one we must not ignore the fact that those at the base of the pyramid have not been provided adequate services to manage the “dispose” aspect of our linear economy.

More than one third of urban poor communities in Phnom Penh still do not receive adequate municipal waste management services. This leads to issues in a variety of areas including public health, resource management, and local waterways. Government and Non-Government actors are aware of the issues, but more can be done.

This handbook was designed not as a presentation of research or a solution for every waste management issue, but as a tool for urban poor communities in Phnom Penh. It aims to educate about waste management issues, provide a framework for communities to advocate for themselves within the system in place, and inform them on useful tips and skills for community-based waste management. With this handbook, hopefully, the challenge of waste management will become a little bit easier to overcome.

You can download the reports as PDF files here! Khmer – English

Contact for more information:
Mr. Soeung Saran, Executive Director of Sahmakum Teang Tnaut (STT)
Email: director@teangtnaut.org
Tel: 089 666 013
Mr. Isaac Daniels, Program Adviser of Sahmakum Teang Tnaut (STT)
E-mail: advisor1@teangtnaut.org