PHNOM PENH — In a small warehouse in Cambodia's capital, a group of workers sit and spin discarded plastic bottles into strips and turn them into bristles for brooms, producing 500 a day.
Over the past 11 months, they have converted about 40 tonnes of discarded plastic bottles into brooms, about 5,000 per day, which they say are stronger than regular brushes.
They are priced at 10,000 riel (3.).S$30) and 150,000 riels.
The plastic strips on the empty bottles are collected on the machine into bundles, then softened in hot water, evenly sliced, sewn with wire at the ends of the bamboo poles.
Has Kea, a 41-year-old Cambodian entrepreneur, wants to reduce plastic pollution in his community. According to the local environment department, the city produces up to 380,000 tons of various types of garbage.
About a fifth of this is single-use plastic that ends up in landfills and waterways.
Suon Kosal, a 26-year-old monk, said: "This broom is very strong and does not break easily. His temple bought 80 of these brooms in January this year.
Kea buys empty plastic bottles from garbage collectors and dumps. With a steady stream of **, he is very confident that his business can operate for a long time.
He is also open to competitors entering the market.
"It also helps to reduce pollution to the environment and encourages people to collect plastic bottles to sell to us at a higher **, which in turn allows them to live a better life," he said. ”