Trash bags that were piling up around Arei Ksat have been moved to a temporary location amid publicity, but residents must continue to deal with their own garbage at least until a meeting with local government is held on Friday, the collection company said.
The day after VOD published an article on the buildup of garbage in Arei Ksat and surrounding villages last week, the company in question, i-Recycling, sent out six trucks to pick up garbage from public streets, including all of the pictured locations in the article. Additionally, garbage has been collected from the mentioned hospital, as well as some other businesses.
Officials put up signs asking residents not to put out their garbage in those areas. However, private homes and many businesses must wait until at least November 11 for the company to pick up their garbage, according to i-Recycling general manager Chhuon Minea.
“They were embarrassed,” said an administrator at the Sovann Sakor Primary school, whose outer wall previously had a large pile of garbage leaning on it. When asked about why the government decided to finally take action, she requested to remain anonymous. “It isn’t like the old days. If someone does something like this they [the press] take pictures and publish it.”
She said she had wanted to go to the government to complain herself for a long time, but other teachers did not support her.
Minea said that i-Recycling could not pick up garbage from private residences until a meeting with the local government on Friday, and said it was the government’s job to inform people to deal with their own garbage until then, as they could not use their old location nor were they able to use the landfills of other districts, though the reason for this was unclear.
