Pollution

Pollution • STORY OF THE DAY • Aug 22, 2019 • 13 min read

Waste pickers A brief history of Cambodia’s plastic crisis

By Kathrin Eitel • Aug 22, 2019
Cambodia’s plastic waste is kept in balance thanks to an army of waste pickers, who represent the only functioning infrastructure. We look back at how plastic conquered the Kingdom

Pollution • STORY OF THE DAY • Jul 31, 2019 • 13 min read

Plastic waste Road to redemption

By Claire Baker-Munton • Jul 31, 2019
Dow Chemical is infamous for the devastating Agent Orange unleashed on civilians during the Vietnam War. Now, the company is putting plastic scrap to work paving new roads for the nation

Pollution • STORY OF THE DAY • Jul 24, 2019 • 9 min read

Plastic waste imports Waste not, want not

By Paul Millar • Jul 24, 2019
The discovery of 1,600 tonnes of illegal plastic waste in a Cambodian port is just the latest example of wealthy nations heaping their trash on countries ill-equipped to handle it

Pollution • STORY OF THE DAY • Jun 28, 2019 • 15 min read

Plastic waste The waste land

By Evie Breese and Thim Rachna • Jun 28, 2019
Southeast Asia is racing to follow China's ban on plastic waste imports. And with Cambodia now forced to clean up its own mess, the Kingdom has a chance to turn piles of plastic trash into treasure

Pollution • Jun 24, 2019 • 13 min read
Garment waste

Out of fashion

Enough clothes have already been made to outfit everyone on the planet. But with rampant overproduction leaving more and more fabric waste in landfill, it's time to find a solution
By Amanda Kaufmann • Jun 24, 2019

Pollution • Sep 12, 2018 • 11 min read
Waste and recycling

The plastic tide

As Southeast Asia buckles beneath the weight of the world's redirected refuse, experts say sustainable waste management can only come by abandoning our throwaway culture
By Paul Millar • Sep 12, 2018

Pollution • May 16, 2018 • 8 min read
Cambodia

The air we breathe

A year ago, Cambodia’s Ministry of Environment began monitoring Phnom Penh’s levels of the most damaging known air pollutant, PM2.5. How will the information gained be used?
By Janelle Retka • May 16, 2018

Pollution • Apr 11, 2018 • 9 min read
Myanmar

Dark clouds on the horizon

Despite grave warnings over the environmental costs, Myanmar is pushing ahead with a number of coal-fired power plants. The villagers who will suffer the most are fighting back
By Brennan O'Connor • Apr 11, 2018

Pollution • Sep 14, 2017 • 10 min read
Phnom Penh

City of garbage

As Cambodia's capital becomes a modern metropolis, its sole garbage collection company, Cintri, is failing to keep up. Can Cambodia's capital clean up its act?
By Colin Meyn and Mech Dara • Sep 14, 2017

Pollution • Jul 19, 2017 • 6 min read
Indonesia

Solving our plastic bag nightmare

The creator of Bali’s biodegradable cassava starch bags says they have had “enquiries from almost every country on earth”, but some question the viability of large-scale production
By Ana Salvá • Jul 19, 2017

Pollution • Jun 13, 2016 • 7 min read
Indonesia

Addicted to coal

As the rest of the world moves away from fossil fuels, Indonesia is reacting to a drop in its coal exports by ramping up local production, putting the country’s health, environment and economy in danger
By Nithin Coca • Jun 13, 2016

Pollution • Nov 13, 2015 • 7 min read
Plastic pollution

Can Southeast Asia stop dumping waste in our oceans?

New research shows that plastic waste in our oceans is far worse than previously thought, and Southeast Asian nations are among the worst offenders
By Logan Connor • Nov 13, 2015