ESDO initiates 'Zero Waste' project on waste management
Under the project, proper storage of household waste, area-based central composting units, rooftop gardens, organic farming plots in villages will be set up
The Environment and Social Development Organisation (ESDO) has started work on a project to make Lalmatia Block B and C in Dhaka, a ward of Rangpur City and a village of Rangpur waste free initially.
The initiative was made for proper waste management as most of the waste generated in Bangladesh every day is not managed properly, ESDO said at an online workshop on Saturday.
Under the project titled 'Zero Waste Communities for a Pollution Free Environment in Bangladesh', local people, local government and regional agencies in these areas will work together on waste management.
Keep updated, follow The Business Standard's Google news channel
ESDO's Junior Programme Associate Golam Rabbani gave the keynote speech on the project.
Under the project, proper storage of household waste, composting units for disposal of waste, area-based central composting units, roof gardens, organic farming plots in villages will be set up, he said.
The main goal of the project is to reduce waste and change daily habits to ensure maximum utilisation of resources and to ensure that there will be no harm to air, water, soil and human health by burning waste, dumping it on the ground or dumping it in the sea.
Dhaka North City Corporation mayor Atiqul Islam said, "Every day a huge amount of waste is being generated which is not being managed properly. Waste management can be fixed through the project. For this, the city corporation will provide all kinds of cooperation."
Dr AKM Rafiq Ahmed, Director General of the Department of the Environment, said, "We all want a waste-free environment. We all need to work together to create a clean and healthy environment. "
ESDO president Syed Marghub Murshed said the main activities of the project include monitoring the waste management situation, setting up a model on waste management within the stipulated time frame and checking whether the project is effective.
According to a study done by ESDO, an average of about 25,000 tonnes of solid waste is generated in urban areas of Bangladesh every day, most of which is not collected.
It is estimated that the amount of this waste will stand at 47,000 tonnes by 2025. The per capita waste generation rate was 0.49 kilogramme in 1995, which will stand at 0.80 kg in 2025.
