Smart waste collection mobile-app pilot launched in Siem Reap

The “Smart Clean Siem Reap” mobile-app pilot project was launched in four of Siem Reap town’s villages. - Photo: Siem Reap Provincial Information Department via FB

PHNOM PENH: Smart waste collection through the mobile app "Smart Clean Siem Reap" was launched as a pilot project in four villages in Siem Reap town’s Slakram commune on Wednesday (June 5).

Local authorities from the village and the provincial administration, along with the German Corporation for International Cooperation (GIZ) under the support of the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), chose a street behind Po Lanka Pagoda to carry out the pilot due to the large number of residents, which has caused experienced waste management issues in the past, commune chief Khieu Sort told The Post on June 6.

The app was installed on the mobile phones of 11 families living along the street in the villages of Slakram, Boeung Daunpa, Dork Po and Banteay Chas to monitor waste collection.

Fifteen rubbish bins equipped with QR codes have also been deployed for garbage collection, which will take place twice a week, on Mondays and Thursdays.

“The Internet system uses a color-coded alert. If it shows green, it means the collection is on time. If it shows yellow, it means the collection is delayed and citizens can report a complaint,” he said

He believed that the pilot project would help ensure refuse is picked up on time, before it starts to decompose.

He said that in the past, collections were sometimes made only once per week, which led to foul odours, affecting the environment and social order.

The project also includes planting of 125 trees along the street on 26 June.

“The pilot project is good. It helps improve regular waste collection, protecting our health from the bad smell of garbage. Planting trees reduces heat and creates a better environment,” he said, adding that if the one-month project succeeds, it will be expanded to other areas.

Siem Reap province has implemented eight pilot projects to test the implementation of smart cities, including the Smart Cities Initiative of JICA, which launched the “Smart Cities Implementation Project” to address urban issues in Siem Reap in 2022.

The initiative is in collaboration with the Siem Reap Provincial Administration and many other partners, according to the provincial Department of Information. - The Phnom Penh Post/ANN