DOI: 10.14457/tu.the.2018.952
title: Evaluation of plastic bag waste management in Phnom Penh, Cambodia using material flow analysis

description: Plastic waste composition in Phnom Penh was dramatically increasing from 6% in 1999 to 21.2 % in 2016. The plastic bag consumption is also remarkable rising. The study in 2015 has shown, on average, the urban Cambodian people use more than 2,000 plastic bags each year which is 10 times higher than the European Union. Moreover, with the lack of legislation, regulation, information, and research on plastic waste management in Cambodia, the impacts of poor plastic waste management will greatly affect this capital city and its citizen. In order to manage waste plastic effectively the flow of plastic material especially plastic bags is required. This study comprises of 3 main objectives. The first objective is to identify and quantify the stocks and flows of the plastic bag and present the overview of the existing status of plastic bag waste management in Phnom Penh. The next objective is to analyze the roles, responsibilities, and characteristics of relevant stakeholders and their contribution to plastic bag waste management. The final objective is to propose the priority scenarios of plastic bag waste management based on the material flow and stakeholder analysis.This study was conducted in Phnom Penh, the capital city of Cambodia. The methodology of this study contains a questionnaire survey, solid waste composition study, stakeholder analysis, and literature review. Regarding the questionnaire survey, the target of the survey is focused on household and non-household (private sector and organization). The questionnaire contains household information and socioeconomic status (education, occupation, and income) of the respondent, plastic bag consumption behavior, knowledge, perception, and awareness of plastic bag consumption of the people. Related to the waste composition study, 30 samples of household solid waste were collected for 7 days for solid waste segregation to identify the solid waste composition especially the plastic bag. Furthermore, the solid waste segregation was conducted for 7 days at Dangkor Landfill to identify and quantify the plastic bag composition and quantity at the landfill. Stakeholder analysis is used to identify who are the important stakeholders in plastic bag management. It is also used to analyze the power, interest, importance, and influence of each stakeholder in relation to plastic waste management.Finally, the literature reviewed is used to search for more information on plastic bag management in Phnom Penh especially to calculate the amount of plastic bag in the Material Flow Analysis (MFA).After collecting information through the survey, waste composition study, stakeholder analysis and literature review, the flow of plastic bag are formed then the proposed scenario in plastic bag management in Phnom Penh is proposed as well. The result of current plastic bag flow analysis in Phnom Penh have shown that 90% of plastic bags are disposed at the landfill, 7% were dumped into the environment, and 3% are removed from the landfill. As a result, four scenarios of plastic bag management is proposed to reduce some amount of plastic bag both at the landfill and environment. This includes charge the fee of plastic bag, waste separation at source, awareness raising, and mix-policies which are expected to reduce plastic bag by 40%,20%,10%, and 70% respectively. In conclusion, the mixed policy is the policy that combines different scenario together which is the charge the fee of plastic bag, implement the solid waste separation and promoted education program and awareness raising scenario is expected to reduce plastic bag 70%. Therefore the mixed policy is assumed to reduce much more plastic bag than another scenario. As the result, 60.8 thousand tonnes of plastic bag will be reduced at the landfill, 4.6 thousand tonnes could be declined at the environment, 26.2 thousand tonnes of plastic bag will be separated by the resident and they will be exported to other countries and processed in recycling shop in Cambodia. Moreover, 27.4 thousand tonnes of plastic bag will be exported to other countries such as Vietnam or Thailand. Furthermore, only 3.0 thousand tonnes will be at the recycling shop in Cambodia. As a result, the mixed policy is the best scenario which could be applied to reduce a large amount of plastic bag in Cambodia.