Background
Hospital waste policy covers both clinical waste and ordinary solid waste generated by patients, visitors, staff, and facility operations. Plastic reduction in hospitals and health centers is a public-sector waste management measure that targets disposable non-medical items used by patients, visitors, and staff. Healthcare facilities manage different waste streams, and separating ordinary plastic waste from medical waste helps keep environmental management distinct from clinical safety controls.
In Cambodia, environmental implementation often depends on coordination between national ministries, provincial departments, and public service facilities. Inter-ministerial memoranda in Cambodia are administrative coordination tools used to align national policy campaigns with implementation by provincial departments and public facilities. The Ministry of Environment’s plastic reduction campaigns operate alongside public cleanliness initiatives and waste equipment distribution, including bins and collection support.
The policy context also intersects with public health because waste management affects sanitation conditions in facilities that provide health services. The Ministry of Health linked the cooperation to the One Health framework, which addresses human health, animal health, and environmental conditions as connected policy areas.
Key Developments
On 30 April 2026, Environment Minister Eang Sophalleth and Health Minister Chheang Ra presided over the signing of a memorandum of understanding between the Ministry of Environment and the Ministry of Health on reducing plastic use in hospitals and health centers.
The agreement focuses on reducing non-medical plastic use in health facilities nationwide, including participation by public hospitals, health centers, and private-sector health facilities. The Ministry of Environment also provided 5,000 waste bins to the Ministry of Health for distribution through municipal and provincial health departments.
The Ministry of Environment stated that, after more than two years of implementing its environmental strategy, imports of plastic products had declined by about 85%. The ministry linked the cooperation to ongoing campaigns including “Today I Do Not Use Plastic Bags,” “Clean Cambodia, Khmer Can Do,” and the campaign for national roads without rubbish and plastic waste.
Institutional Role
The Ministry of Environment is the lead institution for the cleanliness and plastic reduction agenda described in the announcement. Its role includes public campaigns, waste equipment distribution, and coordination with other ministries and local authorities.
The Ministry of Health is the implementing partner for applying plastic reduction measures within health-sector facilities. Provincial and municipal health departments are the distribution channel for the waste bins provided to hospitals and health centers across Cambodia.
Operational Implications
The memorandum creates an administrative basis for hospitals and health centers to reduce non-medical plastic use and improve waste sorting practices. The transfer of 5,000 bins gives provincial health departments physical equipment to support waste placement and collection inside health facilities.
The cooperation also extends the Ministry of Environment’s cleanliness campaigns into the health sector. For facility managers, the practical focus is on reducing disposable plastic use, placing waste correctly, and supporting measures that prevent pollution of public water, land, and air.
