Cambodia - Accelerating Actions to Improve Organic Waste Management

This project will support the Royal Government of Cambodia, Ministry of Environment (MoE) to accelerate the implementation of the Urban Solid Waste Management Policy (2020–2030), the Circular Economy Strategy and Action Plan (2021–2035) and the National Waste Segregation and Recycling Program (2024–2029), and relevant national frameworks on wastewater management, by strengthening methane-reduction measures and circular-waste systems.  

The project will support the identification and phased development of practical methane-mitigation opportunities in solid waste and wastewater systems, including targeted organic waste diversion, improved landfill operational practices, and wastewater and sludge management options where emissions are concentrated and mitigation potential is significant. 

Building on Cambodia’s ongoing efforts to expand waste collection services, improve disposal infrastructure and gradually introduce source separation in public and community settings, the project will prioritise mitigation pathways that are operationally feasible in the near term — particularly those linked to high-generation organic waste sources, progressive landfill improvement, and better system planning at sub-national level. 

Complementary support will also be provided to help local authorities reduce open burning — primarily through improvements in waste collection coverage, service planning and community awareness — recognising its importance for black-carbon reduction and broader waste-system performance. 

The project will also provide technical assistance to municipalities to phase out open burning, improve segregation and collection systems and integrate wastewater-related methane mitigation opportunities (such as enhanced sludge management) within broader waste-sector planning. Pilot activities will be implemented in Phnom Penh, Siem Reap, Kampong Chhnan and the Koh Sralao Island, where the government/MoE planned to pilot a carbon-neutral municipality as a model for managing waste disposal and marine pollution and improving organic waste and water for daily consumption. Furthermore, the pilots will demonstrate a climate-responsive, low-emission, and scalable waste management model for small municipalities, aligned with Cambodia’s methane reduction priorities, Clean Air Plan, and Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC). Their limited scale, clear environmental and climate benefits, and carbon-neutral ambition make it well suited for approval as a proof-of-concept intervention, with strong potential for replication nationwide. 

This project aligns with Cambodia’s NDC 3.0 (2025), which identifies the solid-waste and wastewater sector as a priority for short-lived climate pollutant (SLCP) and methane mitigation. The NDC 3.0 commits to achieving 50% segregation at source, expanding organic-waste processing capacity to 600,000 tons per year, reducing open burning to 10%, and upgrading landfill operations, including landfill-gas extraction and controlled disposal systems, and improve wastewater management. 

• Ministry of Environment (MoE) and Provincial Departments of Environment, Ministry of Economy and Finance (MEF) 

• Ministry of Public Works and Transport (MPWT)  

• Ministry of Interior (MoI)  

• Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF) 

• Ministry of Mines and Energy (MME) 

• Selected municipalities (Phnom Penh, Siem Reap, Kampong Chhnang) 

• National Committee for Sub-Decree 42 Enforcement 

• Utilities 

• Private waste-management and recycling companies 

• Waste picker organisations and cooperatives 

• Development-finance partners 

• Any other relevant authorities responsible for waste management/wastewater 

Outcome 1 – The Government of Cambodia endorses a pipeline of technically sound, financially viable waste methane mitigation interventions with projects advanced toward investment readiness​ in select municipality/ties Phnom Penh, Siem Reap, Koh Sralao Island (Koh Kong), and Kampong Chhnang by the end of the project.   

Output 1.1:  Rapid assessment and prioritization of methane-mitigation opportunities in solid-waste and wastewater systems, including opportunities to divert organic waste from high-generation sources, followed by feasibility studies and financial analysis of selected priority interventions.  

Output 1.2: Viable organic waste management project proposals with technical design, business models, risk analysis, financing structures (public, private, blended finance, Article 6, etc.).  

Output 1.3: Environmental, social, and MRV-related assessments, along with permitting and compliance documentation, prepared to support project submission to financing institutions and to complement investment-structuring needs. 

Output 1.4: Stakeholders convened and engaged to validate project concepts, prioritize a portfolio of 3-5 projects, and identify suitable financing pathways (e.g., domestic public finance, PPPs, MDBs, climate funds, or carbon-market mechanisms). 

Output 1.5: A coordinated plan to support the selected projects, ensuring they are fully prepared and ready for submission to relevant public or private financing sources taking into account differing technical, financial and due-diligence requirements. 

Outcome 2 – The Government of Cambodia endorses a Roadmap to mobilize and scale financial instruments for organic waste management by the end of the project, including options to strengthen cost-recovery mechanisms and financial sustainability of municipal waste services.   

Output 2.1: Integrated assessment of the SLCP/organic-waste financing landscape, identifying current and potential funding sources, investment barriers, and market opportunities through multi-stakeholder consultations to validate needs, refine priority areas, and build consensus on suitable financial instruments.   

Output 2.2: Draft Roadmap outlining actionable financial instruments, incentives, and institutional arrangements to scale investment in organic-waste management, including financing pathways for landfill-gas capture and utilization, organic-waste diversion and valorization (e.g., composting and anaerobic digestion), improved segregation and collection systems, and wastewater-related methane-mitigation measures, in alignment with Cambodia’s NDC priorities. 

Outcome 3 – The Government of Cambodia, sub-national authorities and waste-sector stakeholders have increased its technical, operation and MRV capacity to assess and implement SLCP mitigation measures in the waste sector by the end of the project or soon after.   

Output 3.1: Capacity building workshops/trainings for stakeholders working on organic waste management (municipal officers, waste-service providers, community organizations; waste picker organisations etc.) including teaching of tools for cost-benefit analysis and quantification of CO2 and SLCPs emission mitigation and design/evaluation of organic waste initiative implementation.  

Output 3.2: Training materials, manuals, and case studies tailored to Cambodia's context including practical guidance on sustainable organic-waste management approaches. 

Output 3.3: Establishment of collaborative partnerships for food waste prevention, collection and sorting systems as crucial for the effective management and reduction of food waste, particularly involving large organic waste generators such as markets, commercial establishments and institutional actors.    

Output 3.4: Project communication materials to disseminate results and share lessons learned.   

Output 3.5: Assessment of the mitigation potential/emissions reductions impact and co-benefit assessment of project activities. 

Output 3.6: Harmonized MRV guidance developed for organic-waste and methane-emissions monitoring, aligned with national systems and international frameworks. 

Output 3.7: Practical guidance and capacity support provided to selected municipalities to reduce open burning through improved collection planning, community engagement and basic service system strengthening.