Govt working to modernise waste management with Korean support: Rizwana

The government is working towards establishing a safe, hygienic and environmentally sound waste management system in Bangladesh, said Syeda Rizwana Hasan, adviser to the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change and the Ministry of Water Resources.

She made the remarks today (8 July) during a meeting with a delegation from South Korea's Sudokwon Landfill Management Corporation (SLC), held at her office in the Bangladesh Secretariat.

"We are committed to improving waste management in Bangladesh and are focusing on advanced sorting, recycling, and material recovery systems to reduce waste volume, enhance occupational safety for waste workers, and modernise landfill operations through international collaboration," Rizwana Hasan said.

The discussion focused on technical cooperation to improve waste management and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by establishing modern sanitary landfill facilities in Bangladesh, according to a press release. 

The Korean delegation presented a comprehensive proposal for closing and rehabilitating two existing dumpsites and constructing a new sanitary landfill with assistance from the Korean Ministry of Environment. 

The project will be financed through a mix of Korean grant aid and concessional loans from relevant financial institutions.

According to the proposal, the closure of the current dumpsites is expected to take between one and one-and-a-half years, followed by a 20-year post-closure monitoring period. After the first five years, the reclaimed sites could be turned into green public spaces, depending on land settlement.

The Korean experts also stressed the importance of integrating informal waste collectors into the new waste management system to ensure safer working conditions and improve recycling outcomes.

The estimated cost for closing the existing dumpsites is Tk1.4 billion, while the new sanitary landfill is projected to require an additional Tk13 billion.

The Korean side urged Bangladesh to expedite formal requests and project documentation to activate the proposed financial support. They also expressed keen interest in sharing best practices from the Sudokwon Landfill - the world's largest and most efficiently managed sanitary landfill - and proposed a greenhouse gas reduction initiative using SLC's landfill closure technologies.

Present at the meeting were Sheikh Muhammad Touhidul Islam, chief executive officer of Chattogram City Corporation; Md Rezaul Karim, Joint Secretary of the Ministry of Environment; Seok Ou Jung, Director of SLC; and other senior officials from both countries.

The session concluded with a shared commitment to strengthening future cooperation and building a cleaner, safer, and more sustainable waste management system in Bangladesh.