Municipal solid waste (MSW) management is one of the utmost challenges for Cambodia’s city and district centers. The unsound management of MSW has detrimentally affected the environment and human health. In the present study, an attempt has been made to provide a comprehensive insight into the generation and characteristics, policies and legislation frameworks, management arrangement, collection, treatment, and disposal of MSW. The experience of developed and developing countries and the challenges and priorities of MSW management in Cambodia are also highlighted. In Cambodia, about 4.78 million tons of MSW were generated in 2020, with a 0.78 kg/capita/day generation rate. Only 86% of cities and districts have access to MSW collection services. The current practice of MSW management is reliance on landfill (44%). There are 164 landfills operating countrywide, receiving about 5749 tons of MSW per day. Recycling, incineration, and composting share 4%, 4%, and 2% of MSW generation, respectively. In 2021, the total revenue that was recovered from recyclables was USD 56M. The study concludes several major challenges and proposes valuable suggestions, which may be beneficial for the improvement of the current system to support the sustainable management of MSW in Cambodia.

No abstract

This study assessed the energy potential, economic feasibility, and environmental performance of landfill gas (LFG) recovery, incineration, and anaerobic digestion (AD) technologies for Phnom Penh municipality in Cambodia, from 2023 to 2042. The economic analysis utilized the levelized cost of electricity (LCOE), payback period (PBP), and net present value (NPV) to evaluate the feasibility of each technology. Additionally, environmental performance was assessed following the IPCC 2006 guidelines. The results indicate that incineration produced the highest energy output, ranging from 793.13 to 1625.81 GWh/year, while the LFG and AD technologies yielded equivalent amounts of 115.44–271.81 GWh/year and 162.59–333.29 GWh/year, respectively. The economic analysis revealed an average LCOE of 0.070 USD/kWh for LFG, 0.053 USD/kWh for incineration, and 0.093 USD/kWh for AD. Incineration and LFG recovery were found to be economically feasible, with positive NPVs and a potential for profit within 8.36 years for incineration and 7.13 years for LFG. In contrast, AD technology had a negative NPV and required over 20 years to generate a return on investment. However, AD was the most promising technology regarding environmental performance, saving approximately 133,784 tCO2-eq/year. This study provides valuable technical information for policymakers, development partners, and potential investors to use in order to optimize waste-to-energy investment in Cambodia.