In the coastal area of Sihanoukville, Cambodia, awareness about plastic waste management is low, with open burning practice is everywhere. This has led TONTOTON, a social enterprise, to work with the coastal community to address the problems.
‘Many types of plastic waste have no market value, even plastic bottles. No one cares about waste, until we collect them through the plastic credit funding,’ said Ms Jess Kalisiak, TONTOTON Impact Manager.
TONTOTON's Plastic Collection Centres collect no-value, non-recyclable plastics to prevent them from ending up in the oceans. They also collect all types of household waste, litter in public spaces, and any waste leaking into the oceans or washed ashore.
In the pilot programmes in Sihanoukville, registered households are encouraged to clean, segregate, and dispose of their waste in a bag provided by the company. After the bag is full, they notify TONTOTON to collect it. There are incentives for such disposal, which are good enough for the community to survive in their daily lives. Incorporating such economic incentives is proving to be a supporting factor for better waste management.
‘The pilots still meet some challenges. Educating communities who usually litter and burn waste often encounters obstacles. Not all households are willing to join the pilots. However, the community in general is progressing toward a better plastic awareness,’ said Mr Trong Kam, TONTOTON Project Manager.
Some collectors affiliated with TONTOTON also regularly collect waste found along the ocean shoreline or washed onto the beaches. They are formally registered and equipped with adequate equipment (including shirts, masks, gloves, and boots), to ensure their welfare and safety.
To create a massive change in community behaviour, TONTOTON launched Plastic-Free Coastlines to connect all participating villages into a plastic-free community that works together for a common goal: plastic-free coastline communities.
It takes a village to clean a village. With this belief, the company has connected with the government, international agencies, NGOs, businesses, schools, and communities to build ownership around the pilots. The blue and green flag with the TONTOTON logo reflects the hope of a clean environment for both land and water.
The accumulated mixed waste is mostly utilised for waste-to-energy applications in the cement industry, replacing fossil fuels which reduces greenhouse gas emissions. Meanwhile, the collected PET bottles are sent to recycling facilities in Phnom Penh, but at a relatively high transportation cost. This is a root cause of the low value of plastic waste in the area. Investing in new recycling facilities in Sihanoukville, which enhance repurposing and recycling capacity, should be a solution to consider.
All these efforts are impossible without plastic credit funding. TONTOTON is a local partner of US-based company ClimeCo, which provides companies with a global portfolio of plastic credit projects with a diversity of geography, impacts, and circular economy solutions.
Plastic credit is a market-based mechanism to drive private sector capital to on-the-ground projects removing environmental plastic and creating next life solutions, including recycling, repurposing, and co-processing. With this mechanism, TONTOTON also addresses the growing sustainable market, alongside the need of private companies to take responsibility for their plastic footprint.
Also read: Why Solid Waste Management is Essential for Undertaking Plastic Waste
Communication Desk
In the coastal area of Sihanoukville, Cambodia, awareness about plastic waste management is low, with open burning practice is everywhere. This has led TONTOTON, a social enterprise, to work with the coastal community to address the problems.
‘Many types of plastic waste have no market value, even plastic bottles. No one cares about waste, until we collect them through the plastic credit funding,’ said Ms Jess Kalisiak, TONTOTON Impact Manager.
TONTOTON's Plastic Collection Centres collect no-value, non-recyclable plastics to prevent them from ending up in the oceans. They also collect all types of household waste, litter in public spaces, and any waste leaking into the oceans or washed ashore.
In the pilot programmes in Sihanoukville, registered households are encouraged to clean, segregate, and dispose of their waste in a bag provided by the company. After the bag is full, they notify TONTOTON to collect it. There are incentives for such disposal, which are good enough for the community to survive in their daily lives. Incorporating such economic incentives is proving to be a supporting factor for better waste management.
‘The pilots still meet some challenges. Educating communities who usually litter and burn waste often encounters obstacles. Not all households are willing to join the pilots. However, the community in general is progressing toward a better plastic awareness,’ said Mr Trong Kam, TONTOTON Project Manager.
Some collectors affiliated with TONTOTON also regularly collect waste found along the ocean shoreline or washed onto the beaches. They are formally registered and equipped with adequate equipment (including shirts, masks, gloves, and boots), to ensure their welfare and safety.
To create a massive change in community behaviour, TONTOTON launched Plastic-Free Coastlines to connect all participating villages into a plastic-free community that works together for a common goal: plastic-free coastline communities.
It takes a village to clean a village. With this belief, the company has connected with the government, international agencies, NGOs, businesses, schools, and communities to build ownership around the pilots. The blue and green flag with the TONTOTON logo reflects the hope of a clean environment for both land and water.
The accumulated mixed waste is mostly utilised for waste-to-energy applications in the cement industry, replacing fossil fuels which reduces greenhouse gas emissions. Meanwhile, the collected PET bottles are sent to recycling facilities in Phnom Penh, but at a relatively high transportation cost. This is a root cause of the low value of plastic waste in the area. Investing in new recycling facilities in Sihanoukville, which enhance repurposing and recycling capacity, should be a solution to consider.
All these efforts are impossible without plastic credit funding. TONTOTON is a local partner of US-based company ClimeCo, which provides companies with a global portfolio of plastic credit projects with a diversity of geography, impacts, and circular economy solutions.
Plastic credit is a market-based mechanism to drive private sector capital to on-the-ground projects removing environmental plastic and creating next life solutions, including recycling, repurposing, and co-processing. With this mechanism, TONTOTON also addresses the growing sustainable market, alongside the need of private companies to take responsibility for their plastic footprint.
Also read: Why Solid Waste Management is Essential for Undertaking Plastic Waste
Communication Desk
