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Refill NOT Landfill - A campaign to reduce tourism created plastic waste in Cambodia
Oct 8, 2016

Refill Not Landfill campaigning to turn Cambodia’s plastic mountains into molehills

Taking a lead on dealing with plastic waste in Cambodia, more than 40 members of Siem Reap’s hospitality and tourism industries and development sector have launched #ReFill Not Landfill, a campaign aimed at revolutionising the way water is consumed by tourists in Cambodia and thus spurring a transformation of the kingdoms’s landscape.

At the foot of Angkor Wat — one of the most famous and increasingly popular tourist sites in the world — this informal consortium has come together to replace one-use-only plastic water bottles with reusable aluminium bottles refillable at designated venues across the city. The ultimate goal of ReFill Not Landfill is to substantially reduce the amount of plastic waste produced in the Kingdom, and even change its entire landscape.

In Siem Reap, participating hotels, cafés and restaurants, attractions, tour operators and NGOs will issue their branded bottles to guests and clients in the manner they see fit, and they all have the option to brand them as they choose, meaning Refill Not Landfill can really become part of their identity. The back of the bottles feature the names of all of the free-of-charge water refill locations across the city helping visitors to find them with ease...
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/refill-l ... ic-de-boer

this is a total waste of time, i read an article before, the majority of human beings is lazy and if we want change we need to do it at the industrial level, companies need to come up with a new sustainable, environment and cost friendly product, so that all the lazy bastards like us can save the earth without doing anything else

Happy to say that CEOCambodiaNews informed readers about the "Refill not Landfill" effort to limit plastic waste from water bottles almost two months ago. But it's great to see the other EL news sources are now spreading the word about the Siem Reap campaign to limit the number of plastic water bottles used (and discarded) by tourists.
https://www.cambodiadaily.com/news/siem ... it-121456/

Seriously, there would be a greater impact if the major tour operators would get on board with the idea of reusable water bottles. A tough sell for the Asians perhaps, but they'd get used to it if everyone was doing the same. The western tourists would probably be more than happy about the idea of being eco-friendly tourists.

Why are they aiming this at foreign tourists and not the locals who use 20 times (900/year) more plastic bags and bottles than people from China or the EU?

Bitte_Kein_Lexus wrote:Why are they aiming this at foreign tourists and not the locals who use 20 times (900/year) more plastic bags and bottles than people from China or the EU?

AFAIK it's because it's a local attempt by Siem Reap expats in the tourism industry to do their bit toward reducing plastic water bottles. They are just trying to clean up their own act, which is fair enough. Perhaps this will inspire the locals ?

I don't believe that plastic bottles end up in the rubbish dump. Usually they are the first thing that the ejai pick up for recycling.

PHNOM PENH, 15 August 2017: Journeys Within, a US-based tour company, has introduced a video illustrating a day in the life of a reusable water bottle in the hands of a traveller visiting Siem Reap, Cambodia.

It illustrates the ‘Refill Not Landfill’ campaign, which aims to cut down on millions of single-use plastic water bottles discarded in Cambodia annually.
Tour companies are encouraged to offer reusable aluminium bottles and refill stations as an alternative.

Water delivery app for Siem Reap.

March 15, 2019
Saying NO to plastic bottles

RefillNotLandfill aims to cut down on the millions of plastic water bottles discarded throughout Southeast Asia each year by offering an alternative: reusable stainless steel and aluminium bottles. In Cambodia alone, the tourism industry produces 4.6 million single use plastic bottles every month, with no recycling. Chamrien Phearak is a Siem Reap native who likes to go by the name of Jack.

He is a Campaign Co-Coordinator with RefillnotLandfill – Asia, a company started by Dean McLachlan and Christian de Boer, in partnership with Jaya House River Park.
Eileen McCormick had a chance to meet with Jack – an upcoming hip Cambodian entrepreneur trying to reduce plastic waste in Cambodia.

Good Times2: What inspired your project?

Jack: RefillNotLandfill was initiated by Dean McLachlan and Christian de Boer from Meru Asia and Jaya House River Park when we realised that Cambodia’s tourism industry is booming but no recycling facility exists. Basically all those 4.6 million bottles monthly end up in the rivers, the ocean and landfills around the country, which is a rather shocking statistic. Keep in mind this is ONLY Cambodia so if you would add up the plastic bottles from Thailand, Vietnam etc., it becomes rather clear that a change is needed.

Good Times2: What is the current waste situation in Cambodia?

Jack: Almost all plastic waste is either burned or ends up in landfills, thus damaging the environment rather severely.
The benefits of using a recycleable water bottle. Photos: Supplied

Good Times2: Why are you focusing on tourists and not Cambodians?

Jack: The founders feel they do not have the right to tell Khmer people what to do since this is our country. They do hope to inspire others (Khmers included) by their efforts which are aimed at tourists. Our company does, however, see a growing support from numerous progressive Cambodians in the field of business as well as politics.
https://www.khmertimeskh.com/50587007/s ... c-bottles/

Last weekend at the Ban Lung 'airport' there was a big concert, organized by Cambodia beer. At the whole place not one bin was to be seen. After the concert the place looked like a rubbish dump, full of waste. Of course all the cans had been collected by the poor, what was left was all plastic and (polystyrene) foam.

Of course the 'Cambodia beer' has departed, and left the town with the pile of waste.

But: a solution was found. Today I saw the kids from the Heng Leang school (a private school!) collecting all the rubbish and piling it up, and guys in military police uniforms set it on fire, creating massive amounts of black smoke, filling the Northern streets of town.