Plastic pollution poses a major health risk in Bangladesh, with plastic particles having found their way into fish and even breast milk. Various government and private initiatives have been taken to address the issue, but none have proven effective yet.
Laws to control plastic use are not being properly enforced either, experts have said.
According to the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, plastic waste generation in the country increased significantly after the start of the Covid-19 pandemic due to the widespread use of masks and other personal protective equipment (PPE).
Government data shows that annual plastic waste generation in the country currently stands at 821,250 tons. Only 27% of the total waste (228,000 tons) is reused or recycled while the rest ends up in the environment.
More than 30% of the total plastic waste in the country is generated in Dhaka alone. Per capita annual plastic waste generation is 9kg in the rest of the country while 18kg in the capital.
Recently, dredging work of the Kirtankhola River was disrupted due to an abundance of plastic waste that had accumulated on the bottom of the river. The situation is similar for most other rivers of the country, including the Buriganga, Turag, Dhaleswari and Shitalakshya.
Plastic waste blocking drainage canals is also a major cause of waterlogging in Dhaka.
Ministry takes ten-year action plan
Environment Minister Shahab Uddin said that a ten-year action plan has been formulated to address plastic pollution.
“We have made a law to ban polythene. Single-use polythene has been banned. We plan to phase out single-use plastics by 2026. We hope to reduce the use of single-use plastics by 80 percent by 2026,” he added.
As part of the three-year plan to ban single-use plastics, 3,692 cases have been filed through mobile courts from January 2019 to April 2023 for use of banned polythene shopping bags. Tk5.47 crore in fines have been collected, and 1,763 tons of polythene have been seized.
A total of 169 people were sentenced to various terms of imprisonment in the cases.
In 2002, a law was enacted to ban the use of plastic bags in Bangladesh.
According to the Bangladesh Environment Conservation Act, 1995 (amended by Act No 9 of 2002), the production, import, marketing, sale, display for sale, stock distribution, transportation and use for commercial purposes of all types of plastic shopping bags is prohibited.
However, the use of plastic is increasing due to the lack of proper enforcement of the law, Center for Law and Policy Affairs (CLPA) President Advocate Syed Mahbubul Alam Tuhin said.
A man going over a water surface polluted by plastics Mahmud Hossain Opu/Dhaka Tribune"The police should be empowered to take action against plastic users immediately," he added.
Founding chairman of Atmospheric Pollution Study Center (CAPS) Prof Ahmad Kamruzzaman Majumder said: "We have to be careful in using plastic. We must reduce the use of single-use plastics and increase the use of products made from biodegradable raw materials.''
Deputy Minister Habibun Nahar said: “The government alone cannot reduce this plastic pollution. We can refuse and reuse plastic if we want. This will reduce the amount of plastic waste to a great extent. To prevent plastic pollution, we must follow the law.”
The largest source of plastic waste generation in the country is the packaging sector, with plastic bottles, polyethylene, and polypropylene (plastic granules) being the major pollutants.
A source in Bangladesh Plastic Goods Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BPGMEA) said plastic sector is a lucrative market.
“The export of plastic products of the country has been increasing by 20% every year. In the last financial year 2021-22, there have been plastic exports worth $16.62 million. In the last decade, plastic exports have increased by 44% or almost a quarter of 100 million dollars,” he said.
BPGMEA President Shamim Ahmed said: "Our awareness about plastics is low. Looking at the developed countries, it can be seen that they are very conscious about waste management. Plastic is a product that can be recycled over and over again. We should establish ourselves using our own resources. It is not possible to stop plastic use, but we have to go through the process of reusing this plastic.”
Last year, the Local Government Engineering Department (LGED) constructed roads using bitumen mixed with plastic waste for the first time in Gazipur. In 2023, LGED has set a target of constructing 1km of road using plastic waste in each of the 64 districts of Bangladesh.
Along with the production of other eco-friendly products, Go Green Bangladesh has been making eco-friendly bricks and tiles from polythene and plastic waste.
