Phnom Penh City Hall (Cambodia) has announced plans to deploy 60 hand-pushed trash trolleys across the city’s parks this week, with operators authorized to ticket litterbugs.
Deputy municipal governor Ing Aunny said the city intended to use the “mobile trash bins” to not only beautify the city, but also employ homeless people detained at Phnom Penh’s notorious Prey Speu center.
“The important thing is we want to find ways to help in many sectors. We want to help hygiene and the environment and we also want to help the unemployed and homeless people,” he said.
Am Sam Ath, technical supervisor for rights group Licadho, which has criticized the detention of homeless people at Prey Speu as unlawful, said as long as recruitment from the center was voluntary it represented a move forward.
“It is a good thing to create careers for them,” he said. “If it works it will be a good thing,” he said.