From our bustling cities to our lovely countryside, plastic is choking our drains and rivers. It’s causing open flooding and giving helpful breeding grounds for mosquito and water-borne illnesses as the water gets to be caught in plastic. Plastic moreover degrades over time, discharging littler particles called microplastics, posturing a noteworthy risk to people and biological systems. And, who among us hasn’t seen the heartbreaking pictures of dolphins, turtles, whales, and feathered creatures hurt – and their lives cut brief – by plastic contamination? It’s clear that pressing action is required to spare our environment.

The capital Dhaka’s annual per capita plastic consumption is more than three times the national average for urban areas and stands at 22.25 kg. About 646 tons of plastic waste is collected daily in Dhaka, which is 10 percent of all wastes generated in Bangladesh. Only 37.2 percent of the plastic waste in Dhaka is recycled.

The average per capita plastic consumption in European countries is more than 100 kg — much higher than in Bangladesh. But Bangladesh is one of the top plastic polluted countries due to mismanagement of plastic waste. About 646 tons of plastic waste is collected daily in Dhaka, which is 10 percent of all wastes generated in Bangladesh. Only 37.2 percent of the plastic waste in Dhaka is recycled.

We must act now. If we don’t, solid waste generation in South Asia, already at 334 million tons annually, is estimated to double by 2050, and costs to the environment, biodiversity, communities, livelihoods, and possibly our health will be huge.  We can’t let that happen.

THE GREEN WAY FORWARD

Addressing plastic pollution is not only a crucial development agenda but an opportunity to innovate, create new green jobs, ensuring a green growth pathway for Bangladesh.  The Bangladesh government has proactively responded to this challenge by issuing bans and regulations. In 2002, the Ministry of Environment, Forest, and Climate Change banned plastic carry bags. In 2018, a draft regulation on use of plastic packaging by food, beverage & agro-inputs industries reinforced its commitment to address plastic issues. In 2020, a High Court order was issued to ban single-use plastic in coastal areas and in all hotels and motels across the country.

As we build back better towards a green and inclusive recovery, we must act together to preserve, protect, and save our environment.  Bangladesh has played a critical role in leading the world’s efforts on climate change mitigation and adaptation. On World Environment Day, let’s continue to move forward in fresh, new ways with the help of our partners and our passionate youth to tackle plastic pollution.

IMPLEMENTATION OF NATIONAL POLICIES

The National Action Plan for Sustainable Plastic Management sets a target of recycling 50 percent of plastics by 2025, phasing out targeted single-use plastic by 90 percent by 2026, and reducing plastic waste generation by 30 percent by 2030 from 2020/21 baseline.

The plan, which is aligned with the 8th Five-year plan, was based on needs collectively identified by the Ministry of Environment, Forests, and Climate Change, Department of Environment, private sector, and other stakeholders.

• Raising awareness among the end users against plastic use by concerning them about the detrimental effects of it through advertisement on media and activities by government and non-government agencies.
• Introducing reward based plastic collection program to encourage people not to dump plastic waste here and there.
• Enhancing collaborative research between universities and research institutes to assess the plastic waste in different environmental compartments and their consequences.
• Increasing the research opportunities and funding for searching biodegradable polymer and economically viable alternatives to plastic products, especially packaging plastics.
• Preferential tax treatments, easy bank loan, duty free importation of tools and machineries for industries and businesses related to production of biodegradable alternative to plastics.
• Exploiting the country’s huge potential for jute production in manufacturing cost effective biodegradable alternatives to plastics and providing incentives for these kinds of businesses.
• Providing subsidy for plastic recycling industries rather than plastic manufacturing businesses.
• Imposing high tax on plastic related businesses, from importing raw material to selling the end products. High price will refrain public from using plastic products.
• Consideration of plastic recycling and eco-friendly alternative to plastic production businesses as a sustainable solution to country’s worsening unemployment problem.
• Inclusion of plastic waste collection points at every potential source of plastic pollution including road and river transport system, institutions, offices, shopping centers etc.
• Increasing the capacity of municipalities to collect maximum quantity of plastic waste.
• Strict implementation of existing regulatory laws to stop the use of plastic bags.
• Developing national action plan for monitoring and management of plastic wastes at the point of sources.

Plastic materials are considered an inevitable part of our daily lives because of their wide-ranging uses owing to their low cost, light weight, high durability, and easy availability. But they have now become a global threat due to their long-lasting negative effect on every compartment of the environment-air, soil, and water. Let us focus on what we can achieve through a sustainable and environment friendly approach towards all spheres of our lives. Let us build a better and greener Bangladesh.