PHNOM PENH, Aug. 30 (Xinhua) -- Cambodia produces more than 4 million tons of garbage a year, and only a half was disposed of at dumping sites, Ministry of Environment's secretary of state and spokesman Neth Pheaktra said on Tuesday.
Speaking at a press conference here, Pheaktra said more than 60 percent of the waste was organic, 20 percent was plastic bags, and the remainder was general and solid waste.
He said only 50 percent of the garbage was dumped at 213 dumping sites across the country, as the remaining half of the waste was thrown at open fields, dumped into water sources, or burned down.
"A total of 2.01 million tons of waste a year is disposed of at the dumping sites," Pheaktra said.
According to the spokesman, the growth rate of garbage in the Southeast Asian nation ranged from 10 percent to 12 percent annually.
Heng Nareth, undersecretary of state at the Ministry of Environment, estimated that in the next 10 years, the amount of waste produced in Cambodia will increase to 9 million tons per year. ■
