More than eight people out of every 10 use at least one single-use plastic bottle daily, raising risks of environmental pollution, a study revealed on Tuesday.
According to the study report, Bangladesh consumes between 3.15 and 3.84 billion single-use plastic bottles annually of which only 21.4 per cent go for recycling. The remaining 78.6 per cent bottles end up in the river systems, sea and landfills.
These bottles persist for up to 450 years in the environment, releasing microplastics and toxic chemicals into the ecosystems and food chain, posing mounting health risks.
The Environment and Social Development Organisation conducted the study titled 鈥楨nvironmental footprint of single-use plastic bottles: the pollution and health hazards across the full lifecycle鈥� among 3,416 people across the country between February and October this year.
The organisation revealed the report findings at a press conference held at its headquarters in the capital鈥檚 Mohammadpur.
The report findings also mention that urban consumers favour water bottles, while rural consumers prefer soft drinks.
Over half of the urban consumers reported that they discarded their bottles after using them once, while 42 per cent rural consumers did the same. The rest of the consumers have been found to dispose of their bottles after several uses.
Syed Marghub Murshed, former government secretary and chairperson of ESDO, said that single-use bottles are a pressing challenge for both environment and public health. 鈥榃e must act collectively to reduce plastic waste, enhance recycling systems, and protect our聽ecosystems.
Jahangirnagar University chemistry professor and ESDO鈥檚 senior technical adviser Md Abul Hashem said that the environmental and health hazards of these plastic bottles could in no way be ignored. Chemicals like Bisphenol A, also known as BPA, and microplastics are entering the food chain systems, threatening the human health and biodiversity.
ESDO secretary general Shahriar Hossain said that the country鈥檚 waste management systems were struggling to handle the sheer volume of plastic waste.
鈥楢ddressing this crisis requires collaboration among policymakers, businesses and public to find and promote sustainable alternatives and responsible consumption,鈥� he added.
Organisation executive director Siddika Sultana stressed public awareness as critical to combat the pervasive use single-use plastics.
