Background
The Ministry of Public Works and Transport (MPWT) led a project-management delegation to Vietnam as part of the Solid Waste and Plastic Management Improvement Project (SWaPMIP), which is financed by the World Bank to support upgrades to sanitary landfills, material recovery, composting, and waste-to-energy components. The MPWT delegation visited operational sites and technical facilities to gather practical design and operational knowledge for detailed infrastructure planning under SWaPMIP.
Sanitary landfills, transfer stations, material recovery facilities, composting plants, and gas-to-power systems constitute core system-level elements in municipal solid waste infrastructure design and operation. Lessons from functioning facilities are being extracted to inform detailed engineering designs that aim to align waste infrastructure upgrades with public health, environmental management, and sustainable energy recovery objectives in Cambodia.
Key Developments
The study visit took place from 28 June to 4 July 2026 and included 38 participants drawn from MPWT’s project management unit, the Ministry of Interior, the Ministry of Environment, the Ministry of Economy and Finance, the provincial administrations of Siem Reap, Kandal, Kampong Speu, Battambang, and Preah Sihanouk, the World Bank, and the technical advisory team (DOHWA).
Delegates inspected five operational sites in Vietnam: T&G Green Energy (waste-to-energy operations), Nam Son treatment centre, Binh Duong compost production factory, Da Phuoc sanitary landfill, and Tan My waste transfer station. The visits focused on hygienic landfill operations, material recovery processes, composting production, and the capture and use of landfill gas for electricity generation.
Institutional Role
MPWT acted as the lead implementing agency for SWaPMIP’s project-management activities and coordinated the multi-ministry and provincial participation in the study mission. The delegation included representatives from central ministries, provincial administrations, the World Bank, and a technical advisory firm to ensure that observed technologies and operating models could be evaluated from engineering, financial, and regulatory perspectives.
Operational Implications
Knowledge and technical examples collected during the visit will be incorporated into the detailed infrastructure designs for SWaPMIP, with particular attention to sanitary landfill engineering, material-recovery operations, composting processes, and landfill-gas utilization for power. The project intends to use those design inputs to support infrastructure upgrades that target sustainable service delivery, public health safeguards, and reduced environmental impacts.
Source
Original reporting from the Ministry of Public Works and Transport (MPWT) Facebook post: MPWT Facebook.
