Version Française - PDF

Versión en Español - PDF

Less than 20 years ago, Cambodia was a country largely devoid of plastic waste.   The local markets packaged food using banana leaf or other natural and biodegradable materials.

How times have changed.  A recent Fondazione ACRA survey has found that the average person living in Cambodia uses about ten times the number of plastic bags as their counterparts in China and Europe.   As a result, the Cambodian countryside is now awash in plastic.

Making the problem worse is the fact that rubbish removal is only available in the largest cities.  This leaves most rural Cambodians with no choice other than to burn their trash, which is largely made up of plastic.  Many Cambodians are unaware that plastic releases toxic gas when burned and allow their children to play among the smoldering rubbish.

What is the solution to these problems?

Creating good jobs that encourage people to utilize the waste plastic instead of burning it.

Meet Naga Earth  A non-profit that has been working to solve environmental problems in Cambodia for the last ten years.  At our factory in Siem Reap, our engineers turn rubbish into usable products. 

Our latest and most exciting initiative is dealing directly with the problems of waste plastic and poverty in the Cambodian countryside.   Naga Earth is building small-scale plastic recycling machines that rural Cambodians can use to turn trash into useful products.   They will be simultaneously cleaning up the countryside and providing for their families.

The machines are inexpensive and Naga Earth will set up micro-finance programs that will make them affordable to the average Cambodian.  

Plastic Heated Press

The easiest and most inexpensive machine is a heated press that costs less than $300 and will convert used plastic bags into awnings, umbrellas or plastic tarps.

Initially Naga Earth will set up a production and training area at our factory to build table umbrellas.   Then we will start marketing the umbrellas to our network of partners in the hospitality industry.   The stylish, recycled plastic umbrellas will be made from sustainably grown bamboo provided by Bambusa Global Ventures. 

There is a strong market for this product in Cambodia: Umbrellas are used by all hotels and restaurants with outdoor areas to protect against the sun, and rain during monsoon season. Through our biodiesel project we work with businesses in the hospitality industry around Cambodia and have excellent insight into the environmental and social consciousness throughout the sector. Some of our clients have already started inquiring as to when the product will be available for purchase.

We will work with our partner NGOs to identify Khmer families that would benefit from these machines and be able to provide for their families by operating the machines and building umbrellas.  We will help set up micro-financing for qualified individuals and provide free training to help them understand how to safely operate the machine.  We will also provide training to make sure the user understands how to make high-quality umbrellas.

We expect someone using this machine daily to be able to pay back their micro-finance loan in less than six months.

For dealing with hard plastic waste, Naga Earth has started building small-scale recycling machines based on the open-source Precious Plastic model.

These machines will be utilized at our factory to recycle plastic waste from the hospitality industry.  Plastic previously getting burned or ending up in the public landfill will be converted into useful items.

Naga Earth story from the people at Precious Plastic

Potential Products

With the extrusion machine it is possible to make recycled plastic filament which can be used in a 3D printer.   The molding machine is capable of making any number of plastic products.

How you can help this project

Make a donation to the campaign.  Help to create micro-businesses in Cambodia that will reduce poverty, clean up the countryside and prevent plastic pollution.

How much is needed?

While we are already under way building our first machines, we need additional funding of $5,000 to realize this project.

How the money will be used

Building Plastic recycling machines - $2,000

Plastic Extruding Machine
Injection Molding Machine

Setting up work area for manufacturing and training - $1,000

Benches/Tables/Chairs
Fabrication tools and equipment
Fans, lighting, electrical

Business licensing and permits - $1,000

Government licensing fee (Changing from NGO to registered business)
Tax licensing
Business liaison
Work permits (local staff and volunteers)

Marketing & Crowdfunding Expenses - $1,000

Marketing expenses, prizes for people who contribute to this campaign and shipping costs from Cambodia.

Stretch Goal + $2,500

We have plans at Naga Earth to set up larger scale plastic recycling that includes 3D printing and making larger items with a compressing oven.   By reaching our stretch goal we will build an additional plastic shredder, a compressor oven and purchase a 3D printer.  This will allow us to significantly increase our capabilities to recycle plastic.

What you will get in return for your contribution:

$5 to $24 – You will receive a personalized thank you email and updates as the project moves forward.

$25 to $49 – You will receive a John McDermott print on banana trunk paper made by our friends at Stamp and updates as the project moves forward.

$50 to $99 – You will receive a Naga Earth 26 oz. stainless steel water bottle, a John McDermott print on banana trunk paper made by our friends at Stamp, and updates as the project moves forward.

$100 to $249 – You will receive a Naga Earth tote bag made by our partner NGO Friends International that is perfect for reducing your own plastic consumption, a Naga Earth 26 oz. stainless steel water bottle, a John McDermott print on banana trunk paper made by our friends at Stamp and updates as the project moves forward.

$250 to $499 – You will receive a  beautiful one meter hand-made floor mat from recycled plastic bags by our friends at Rehash Trash, a Naga Earth tote bag made by our partner NGO Friends International that is perfect for reducing your own plastic consumption, a Naga Earth 26 oz. stainless steel water bottle, a John McDermott print on banana trunk paper made by our friends at Stamp and updates as the project moves forward.

$500 and over– You will receive an amazing two meter round floor mat made by Osmose from water hyacinth, a  beautiful one meter hand-made floor mat from recycled plastic bags by our friends at Rehash Trash, a Naga Earth tote bag made by our partner NGO Friends International that is perfect for reducing your own plastic consumption, a Naga Earth 26 oz. stainless steel water bottle, a John McDermott print on banana trunk paper made by our friends at Stamp and updates as the project moves forward.

Why Naga Earth?

So who is Naga Earth and what makes us so qualified to initiate this project?  Well, we have been successfully running environmental projects in Cambodia for ten years.

Location

As a volunteer based organization, we are in an amazing location that is quite desirable to live and work.  Our volunteers are a ten-minute bike ride from downtown Siem Reap and a ten-minute bike ride the other direction to the amazing Angkor Wat temple complex.

Factory

We have a large factory with plenty of open floor space

Volunteers

Due to the desirability of our location and the quality of our projects we are able to attract a large number of very talented volunteers.  With almost everyone else in Siem Reap focused on tourism, engineers looking to volunteer find Naga Earth to be an interesting opportunity. 

We have an agreement with a technical university in France that consistently provides Naga Earth with interns who are working on their master’s degree in engineering and are looking for a quality work experience. 

We partner with Concert Cambodia who place volunteers with non-profits in Siem Reap.   Our website describes current volunteer opportunities.

Volunteer Testimonials

Current Volunteers

Cambodian Staff

Management of Naga Earth

Tim Waterfield is the American-born director of Naga Earth.  He has ten years’ experience working in Cambodia and speaks Khmer fluently.  Passionate about environmental causes, Tim hails from Boulder, Colorado, and now calls Siem Reap home.   In Boulder, Tim was the factory manager of Hirsh Precision Products and was responsible for organizing daily operations and managing 50 employees.

Hirsh Precision Products – Boulder, Colorado