Located on a beautiful island in the Gulf of Thailand and surrounded by palm fringed beaches and lush jungle, the fishing village of Prek Svay has a particular story to tell. Like many other small villages in Cambodia, it is struggling to cope with an increase in population and consumption of goods which have led to a growing waste disposal problem. But due to its isolated location and degree of poverty, the Prek Svay island community lacks a proper solid waste management system while lacking the funds to ship waste to the mainland facilities.

As a result, waste has traditionally been burnt, littered or dumped in areas surrounding the village – both on land and in the sea. Pristine beaches have turned into dumping sites, house yards are littered with garbage and even playgrounds abound with waste of all kinds. Discarded bottles, syringes, batteries, electronic items and kitchen and sewage waste all pose an increasing risk to the health of the villagers and wildlife in the area.

In order to support Prek Svay community, we decided to initiate a solid waste management project that aims to stimulate the villagers to look after their own village environment and empower them to do so. While establishing a proper solid waste management system constitutes a main step towards a clean environment and healthy living space. At the same time, our project also aims to raise the profile of Prek Svay village and provide the island community with alternative livelihoods.

Since August 2010 our Community Engagement Officer has been coordinating this project with overwhelming support from a group of Prek Svay villagers who organized themselves in the Solid Waste Management Team. Together, we raised environmental awareness by participating in international clean-up events, such as World Environment Day, Earth Day and Clean up the World Weekend.

During each of these events more than 90 villagers, from toddlers to grandfathers and navy to the village chief, joined our team and set out under the sweltering sun to collect all garbage and waste. Many enthusiastic volunteers from conservation groups and diving schools also participated, so what started out as village clean-ups soon became full-fledged terrestrial and underwater events. Three village clean-ups yielded no less than 487 bags of rubbish and a new volleyball field for the children, while the underwater clean-ups ridded the ocean floor of dozens of abandoned fishing traps and nets, thus ending their year’s long senseless killing of marine life.

Our team has now started with organizing workshops and short guest lectures at the village primary school. Displaying short movies about waste management and environmental conservation at these village meetings has provided us with valuable info about the community’s needs. Consequently our project donated waste bins, gloves for handling waste and signs for waste disposal to the village, which have proven to be a very effective tool in maintaining a clean and healthy environment. In as little as 4 month’s time, the Prek Svay Solid Waste Management Team has collected more than 1150 bags of garbage and disposed of them properly.

The combination of establishing a Solid Waste Management Team, organizing clean-up events, workshops and guest lectures, has made a great impact on the community. Not only has the amount of litter and rubbish been drastically reduced, but more important even is the fact that people have become more aware of the importance of a healthy environment and the (endangered) animals which inhabit it. A growing sense of empowerment and the will to move ahead together have been stirred well awake.

The latest addition to our community and conservation program is the current construction of a solid waste recycling station, which will include facilities for composting, waste segregation and recycling. Once the station becomes operational in the first quarter of 2011, it will mean another major step forward. Hand in hand with the Prek Svay community, we are well on track towards a cleaner and healthier environment while conserving the amazing biodiversity present in the area.