The ministries of environment and education have partnered in a new initiative that will see an increased focus on ensuring young Cambodians understand the importance of disposing of waste correctly.
Minister of Environment Eang Sophalleth and Minister of Education, Youth and Sport Hang Chuon Naron signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on October 21 as part of joint efforts to instil a “clean habits, clean culture” ethos among all Cambodians, starting with students.
The environment ministry has previously distributed 16,935 new rubbish bins to schools in 11 provinces. On the day the MoU was signed, it provided an additional 17,175 bins to schools across 14 capital and provincial administrations.
Sophalleth said the agreement aimed to foster environmental awareness among students and encourage clean living habits, helping steer Cambodia towards a zero-waste nation under the ministry’s Environmental Circular Strategy.
He noted that progress towards that vision included the “Today, I Will Not Use Plastic” campaign, which he claimed has reached more than 14 million participants to date. Building on its success, the ministry launched a second initiative, “Clean Cambodia, Cambodians Can Do It”, which has seen more than eight million take part in community clean-up activities.
Both campaigns and local clean-up efforts are developing into broader movements, he said, with local authorities, schools and communities taking part regularly. The aim was to turn these activities into lasting habits.
Sophalleth stressed that the main goal of the campaigns and cooperation initiatives was to transform individual activities into a movement and ultimately establish “clean habits, clean culture” among all citizens, particularly children and young people in schools.
Chuon Naron expressed full support for initiatives to make Cambodia cleaner through efforts to reduce waste and move towards a zero-waste society.
He urged education officials and school directors to integrate environmental education, including reducing the use of plastic bags, into school programmes. They were also encouraged to teach students proper waste disposal and promote participation in the “Clean School” competition to create hygienic and pleasant learning environments.
The latest cooperative initiative is expected to help reduce plastic waste pollution and develop a new generation of Cambodians with a stronger sense of environmental responsibility.