Cambodian Anti Plastic Bag 2015
The Goal:
The Cambodian Anti Plastic Bag 2015 had the goal of increasing awareness and motivation among individuals of Cambodia about the necessity of properly disposing of plastic. Often in Cambodia, people leave plastic bags, bottle caps, and more on the grounds or roads after use. The campaign is aimed to influence Cambodians about the importance of plastic waste management. The daily use of plastic bags was discouraged. Currently, plastic bags are frequently used in Cambodia because of their convenience and cheap price. The bags are lightweight and can be disposed of easily. Additionally, retailers encourage their customers to use extra bags. The campaign encourages citizens to consider packaging with banana and lotus leaves. During the 1990s, items were primarily wrapped with natural packaging materials. This natural packaging is highly encouraged to become the new norm.
Furthermore, the campaign was launched by the UNESCO Office in Phnom Penh with a celebrating ceremony to present information. Members who attended the ceremony took part in collecting trash from multiple areas across the city. This campaign was one of many future campaigns to change the attitude around plastic for Cambodians.
Volunteers collecting trash in areas including Wat Botum Park, Hun Sen Park, Koh Pich island, and the riverside (Sovuthy and Blomberg). Each volunteer had a plastic bottle, plastic bag, and gloves.
Credit: Siv Channa/Cambodia Daily
Issues with Solution Attempt :
While the campaign resulted in increased awareness throughout Cambodia, the impact was short lasting. They have continued to hold campaigns to reduce the plastic, mainly by encouraging citizens to not use plastic bags and properly dispose of plastic. More citizens are knowledgeable about their impact and consider their daily plastic disposal. While this measure is targeted towards reduced use of plastic, the volunteers (Photograph 1) were equipped with plastic instead of reusable bottles.