Love Laos: Keep It Clean Campaign Highlighted in Brunei News Story on Plastic Crisis

Brunei News cites The Asia Foundation’s InAsia blog post “Love Laos: Keep it Clean” in a piece reporting on how “Southeast Asian Nations Grapple with Worsening Plastic Trash Crisis.”

Traditionally, most people in Laos lived a subsistence lifestyle, and their waste was primarily organic and decayed quickly. However, urbanisation and the shift to consumer lifestyles in rural areas is leading to an increase in imported and manufactured products, which are typically comprised of plastics and other non-biodegradable materials. There are a limited number of sanitary landfills in the country… As a result, the majority of people must come up with their own solutions for waste disposal.

The blogpost highlights the importance of creating broader awareness of the negative impacts from improper waste disposal, including environmental issues caused by the leaching of hazardous substances into soils and water, and human health problems due to inhalation of the smoke given off by burning plastics and other hazardous materials. Recently The Asia Foundation launched a campaign targeting waste management called “Love Laos: Keep it Clean” to encourage people to stop littering and to start recycling and composting.