Logo of Phnom Penh Post newspaper Phnom Penh Post - Kampong Speu set to enforce littering fines

Kampong Speu set to enforce littering fines

Content image - Phnom Penh Post
A garbage pile at Kirirom National Park on June 13. Facebook

Kampong Speu set to enforce littering fines

Warning against littering at Kirirom National Park in Kampong Speu province has seemingly faltered as rubbish continues to mount, prompting provincial environmental officials to impose fines.

Om Mak Theary, provincial environment department director, said visitors to the park and the locals are leaving rubbish everywhere. To address the issue, he has sent a team to educate the public and display banners promoting environmental protection as well. If repeated attempts at education are unsuccessful, he said legal action would be taken.

“We will attempt education, not only for visitors but also vendors. We will advise them to separate solid, liquid and plastic waste. We will instruct people to use banana or lotus leaves because plastic does not decompose easily,” he said.

Hem Odom, an environmental expert, said people still do not dispose of rubbish in the proper place, even though the park has some bins in place.

“If possible, all relevant institutions should create a programme that can prick their conscience and prompt them to act more responsibly, for example on TV or in the media,” he said.

Heng Yon Kora, founder and executive director of the Community Sanitation and Recycling Organisation in Cambodia, said there have actually been a lot of educational videos but some people ignored them. Most people, he said, watch those videos as if they were watching entertainment without thinking about the educational message being conveyed.

According to Yon Kora, the reason people litter is that there is a lack of rubbish bins and slow waste collection, while the authorities have yet to enforce fines.

“I have observed that there are no monitors for fines. If there are ones to punish offenders, people would be deterred and change their habit. We can warn them once or twice first before imposing fines. We can place educational slogans in the park,” he said.

Odom agreed that strictly enforcing the law might prompt people to comply, but only when authorities are present. Littering at resorts or other public places damages the environment and pollutes the environment, affecting biodiversity and fresh air for people, he said.

MOST VIEWED

  • 12th Cambodia int’l film festival to see return of Hollywood star

    Phnom Penh is set to come alive with the magic of cinema as the highly anticipated 12th Cambodia International Film Festival (CIFF) takes centre stage. Boasting an impressive line-up of 188 films from 23 countries, including captivating shorts, feature films, documentaries and animation, the festival promises an

  • Brawl marrs football final as Indonesian take gold in seven goal thriller

    The Indonesian men's U22 men national football team were crowned champions of the 32nd SEA Games in Cambodia, defeating Thailand 5-2 in extra time on May 16 at Olympic National Stadium in Phnom Penh. The match was marred by an ugly incident that occured in the 91

  • Bareknuckle champion wants Kun Khmer fighter

    Dave Leduc, who is the current openweight Lethwei boxing champion in Myanmar, has announced that he will travel to Cambodia this year to challenge SEA Games gold medallist Prum Samnang any time that is convenient, after their planned match later this month in Slovakia was

  • Candlelight Party disqualified from July general election

    The National Election Committee (NEC) has disqualified the Candlelight Party (CP) from contesting the upcoming general election, citing a lack of valid documentation. NEC spokesman Khorn Keomono said the CP failed to fulfil one of the three main requirements: including original documentation proving their registration

  • Thong Khon calls for orderly SEA Games closing ceremony

    Thong Khon, Minister of Tourism and permanent vice-president of the Cambodia SEA Games Organising Committee (CAMSOC), calls on all people who have received tickets to the May 17 closing ceremony of the biennial multi-sports extravaganza at the Morodok Techo National Stadium to ensure that the event

  • 1.4 billion dollar Phnom Penh-Bavet expressway due in four years

    The Government, through the Ministry of Public Works and Transport, has officially signed a public-private partnership agreement with a private company for the construction of a Phnom Penh-Bavet Expressway project that will connect the capital to Svay Rieng province. The budget for the project is