Dossier

(Zero) Waste & Gender

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This dossier is about the prevalent nature of waste. Waste is a part of everyone's daily life around the world and the amount is increasing, partly due to our society’s fast-paced lifestyle. This dossier focuses, on the zero waste approach and its applicability in the Mekong region, especially Cambodia. Moreover, it presents Cambodia's best practices in waste reduction at the level of civil society. Further to that, it looks at one important player in waste management: the women. It analyzes the nexus between gender and waste and how it is perceived in Cambodia.  

Garbage bags in front of a house in Siem Riep, Cambodia

(Zero) Waste in Cambodia: Status quo & Challenges

Introduction
Population growth and changing lifestyles are resulting in an increasing amount of waste, the management of which poses a challenge for many countries, as well as in Cambodia. This dossier aims to acknowledge the existing potential in Cambodia in terms of sustainable waste management. The potential of Cambodian’s civil society, especially women, who are indispensable for the transformation of Cambodia's waste management and who are already in the process of doing so.
By Marie Kaiser
Articles
Waste separation at the kitchen of Pizza 4P's Cambodia

The Zero Waste Approach and its Applicability to Cambodia

South East Asian countries are depicted with plastic polluted beaches, plastic waste on the curbsides, and marine animals washed up on shore with plastics found in their stomachs. However, a closer look at the waste sector of specific cities and municipalities in some countries reveals a remarkable zero waste movement. This article embarks on an exploration of the zero waste approach and discusses its feasibility for Cambodia.
By Marie Kaiser
A female informal street waste picker, known as Edjaj in Khmer language

Nexus Gender & Waste

Article
This article looks at the interconnection between gender and waste. Gender, as a social construct shaping our norms, behaviors, and roles, intertwines with waste, (also) an omnipresent companion of our daily lives. The connection may not be visible at first glance, but simply because, as the UNEP beautifully puts it, “it simply mirrors what is seen elsewhere” (Nakamura 2022). The symbiotic relationship between gender and waste is best illustrated by tracing the different levels of the waste sector. Household, community, operation and policy are all areas involved in a country's waste management and are also intertwined with gender, together forming an unbroken cycle.
By Marie Kaiser

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