As you read this, take a moment to look around when you step outside your home. The extent of plastic pollution is evident everywhere. Living in a small town, I am constantly alarmed by the amount of plastic litter I see around my residence. The most distressing part is the apparent indifference of people towards this issue.
Our cities, towns, suburbs, roadsides, and rural bazaars are simply being bombarded with plastic litter and are suffering immensely due to plastic waste. This pollution is not only an eyesore but also poses significant environmental and health risks.
In the coming monsoon, it’ll clog waterways, leading to flooding and breeding grounds for disease-carrying insects. It causes harm to wildlife, domestic animals, and overall local ecosystems.
Moreover, plastic pollution contributes to the degradation of natural beauty and the loss of biodiversity. Microplastics have infiltrated every ecosystem, from the deepest oceans to the highest mountains.
It is understandable that we currently lack the capacity to effectively recycle all our plastic waste, and our overall waste management system is inadequate. This is one aspect of the problem.
The other significant issue, in my opinion, is our widespread throwaway culture, which leads to the indiscriminate disposal of plastic waste. This throwaway culture is gradually turning the entire country into a plastic wasteland.
According to a UN report from a roundtable discussion last year, Bangladesh ranks sixth globally for plastic and polyethene pollution in water bodies. The report also highlights that the Bay of Bengal is to receive five times more plastic waste in 2025 than it did in 2010.
We are also one of the top countries in the world that mismanages plastic waste. Every day we produce around 25,000 tons of waste and of that, 3000 tons are plastic waste. Around 14 million thin plastic bags are used daily in Dhaka. Over 55% of the solid waste in urban areas remains uncollected.
The uncollected waste is causing pollution and harms our towns and cities in many ways, including making space dirty, causing destruction of the natural ecosystem, creating blockages in our drainage systems, soil fertility loss, and so on. Every day, this is alarmingly increasing as urbanization escalates.
The short-term convenience of using thin polyethene bags is taking us to our destruction in the long run
We do have some ambitious plans to tackle pollution; in addition to banning single-use polyethylene bags, we have developed an ambitious National Action Plan for Sustainable Plastic Management. The plan aims to recycle 50% of plastics by 2025, reduce single-use plastics by 90% by 2026, and cut plastic waste generation by 30% by 2030.
However, the current reality on the ground does not align with these goals and the way we continue to be indifferent about these issues, it seems that we will hardly be able to achieve the targets.
Use of plastic items has become an inseparable part of our modern lifestyle. The short-term convenience of using thin polyethene bags is taking us to our destruction in the long run.
On top of it, littering indiscriminately and mismanagement are making the situation worse. The plastic waste crisis is literally consuming our environment, and it demands immediate attention.
While our ambition to reduce plastic use is commendable, the solution may not lie solely in banning or avoiding its use. Instead, we need to focus on proper recycling and management of plastic waste.
However, before we can fully achieve that capacity, we urgently need a massive nationwide cleaning effort.
We should organize a nationwide clean-up week, engaging all schools, colleges, universities, madrasas, and volunteer organizations to clean their neighbourhoods and community areas.
Non-government organizations and big companies as a social responsibility can support the initiative.
This collective effort can start our journey to mitigate the immediate impact of plastic pollution, and create the necessary public awareness about plastic waste while we work towards long-term solutions.
Parvez Uddin Chowdhury is a seasoned development worker, writer and climate enthusiast.
