Users, producers must take responsibility to curb plastic pollution: Rizwana

Environment Adviser Syeda Rizwana Hasan said both users and producers must be accountable for efforts to mitigate plastic pollution.

"If people care about their families and health, they must reduce their use of single-use plastics," she said, as chief guest, at a roundtable titled "Protecting Dhaka's Rivers and Canals from Plastic Waste through Circular Economy" on Wednesday. 

This event was jointly organised by RedOrange Ltd and The Business Standard, with support from the Plastic Free Rivers and Seas for South Asia (PLEASE) project. The project is implemented by the South Asia Co-operative Environment Programme (SACEP) and is supported by the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS) and the World Bank.

The adviser further said the rate of polythene use at an individual level is also a part of waste management. "Reduction of plastic at consumer level is a part of waste management, while the other parts are-- reuse and recycle."  

Rizwana highlighted that citizens are required to determine the rate to which polyethene usage can be reduced in everyday life, urging them to safeguard the next generation from the harmful effects of polythene on the human body.

Regarding governmental measures against polyethene, the adviser said as the attention is now centred on polythene use, the ministry will gradually move towards banning single-use plastic.

The adviser also referred to the ban on plastic bottles at hotels in European countries.

She said although polythene has been banned in Bangladesh since 2002, officials are assaulted during their efforts to enforce crackdowns on polythene factories in Chawk Bazar, Dhaka.

She pointed out that each time an initiative is launched to combat polythene, a rationale is presented claiming that individuals associated with the industry will become unemployed.

"An alternative source of income will certainly be provided," said the adviser.

She noted that the jute ministry has undertaken the task of restoring the public habit of using jute bags, even if it involves offering the bags at subsidised rates.

She also urged Dhaka's city corporations to monitor the markets within their respective jurisdictions and make sure that those are free of polythene.  

She said efforts are underway to make Saint Martin's Island free of single-use plastic. "A model plan is necessary for St Martin's to prevent plastic from entering the Bay. If it is possible to rid St. Martin's of single-use plastic, the approach will gradually be adopted in other districts."

Having said that Coca-Cola now comes in glass bottles in European countries, she said the company should adopt a similar approach in the Bangladesh market too.

She said the company will be granted time, if sought, for the transition from plastic to glass bottles, but until then they will have to collect and recycle plastic on their own responsibility.

She said the company will be provided with a timeframe, if needed, for the conversion from plastic to glass bottles. "Yet, until then, they must handle the collection and recycling of plastic on their own."

In his speech, Dhaka South City Corporation Chief Waste Management Officer Air Commodore Md Mahabubur Rahman Talukder highlighted the importance of concerted efforts to combat plastic pollution.

"First and foremost, emphasis should be placed on the strategy of reduction. The objective should be aimed at reducing plastic at both production and consumption stages."

Noting that the procedure in which plastic waste is collected at present is an informal way which manages to collect only 5-7% of plastic waste, he called for a formal approach in this regard. 

"We need to go for formal collection and give importance to recycling," he said, stressing the need for launching on-site recycling initiatives.

Dhaka North City Corporation Additional Chief Waste Management Officer (In Charge) Tabassum Abdullah pointed out that most of the canals in Dhaka lack flow of water. 

"Those that have water flow directly receive solid waste and sewage. A large part of this waste is single-use plastic, which blocks the flow of the canals."

Bangladesh Institute of Planners (BIP) President Adil Mohammed Khan said the law enforcement agencies and relevant departments must take the necessary steps to prompt citizens to move away from the practice of using plastic and polythene.

He also called for identifying possible loopholes in relevant laws and provisions to this end.

Dhaka Wasa DMD (operation and maintenance) AKM Shahid Uddin said if the city's waterways were regularly flowing and kept clean, residents would think twice before littering in the water bodies.

He laid emphasis on mechanical screening in waste management, and called for reducing plastic production and use.

The event was conducted by Alok Kumar Majumder, director – Programme & Operation, Red Orange. 

Mohammad Assaduzzaman, senior policy adviser-Climate, Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands; Shamim Ahmed, president, BPGMEA; Inam Ahmed, editor, TBS; Jannatul Munia, director, Strategy, Red Orange, were present, among others.