IPS Cambodia and Local Clients Launch Siem Reap’s First Green Commune Waste Program

In some of Siem Reap’s outer neighbourhoods, where residential areas are growing faster than public services, household waste is still often burned or illegally dumped. For families living in these areas, this can mean smoke, pollution, and a lower quality of day-to-day living.

In Sra Nghae and Sambour communes, this has been a growing concern in recent years.

Now, something is changing.

IPS Siem Reap, together with 30 of our clients, has come together to support Siem Reap’s first Green Commune waste management program. Through this joint effort, FREE weekly rubbish collection is now being provided to 200 households across Sra Nghae and Sambour communes.

The goal is simple but meaningful: to reduce waste burning, stop illegal dumping, and create a cleaner, healthier place for people to live.

From Awareness To Action

The program began with conversations.

GAEA , Siem Reap’s professional waste management company , has been meeting with families, shop owners, and residents throughout the neighbourhood, explaining the health risks of burning household waste and how regular collection helps keep the air cleaner and streets safer.

For many people, it was the first time anyone had clearly explained what happens when plastic, food waste, and packaging are burned close to their homes. The smoke affects children, the elderly, and anyone living nearby, and over time it also damages soil and water.

Once residents understood the impact, the response was immediate. People want a cleaner place to live. They simply needed a practical system to make it possible.