IT IS commendable that the government has announced its firm position against the widespread use of one-time plastic products and continued its drive against polythene bags, but the state of plastic pollution suggests that enforcing a polythene ban is not enough. The environment ministry issued a directive in August that listed 17 single-use plastic products as hazardous and asked retailers and others concerned to phase out the products. The ban on the use of polythene in supermarkets was, accordingly, enforced in October and the same directive was made effective for all retail stores and markets on November 3. Since the imposition of the ban, the government has conducted 166 drives in which 349 entities were fined Tk 19,29,900 and 40,000 kilograms of polythene were seized. After years of negligence in implementing the Polythene Bag Control Act 2002, strict action against the use of polythene is a welcome development, especially in view of the environmental and health burden of plastic pollution. However, the fight against plastic pollution requires a multi-pronged approach which needs to include a biodegradable alternative to polythene and a waste management programme to recycle plastic already in use.
A photograph that 抖阴精品 published on November 30 shows that the unabated dumping of plastic products into the Subhadya canal at Jinjira in Dhaka has almost killed the canal. An estimated 250 tonnes of single-use plastic enter the environment every month and about 80 to 85 per cent of the waste, once discarded, ends up in drains, lakes, rivers and the Bay of Bengal. The ban on polythene is, therefore, a key step in preventing plastic pollution, but it does not address the hazardous plastic items that have already entered the environment. Metal and toxic elements released by way of unplanned disposal of plastic items are diffused into the environment which eventually enter the food chain. The government needs to develop a plan to recycle plastic already in use and provide a biodegradable alternative. Decades of marketing of polythene bags and single-use plastic products have changed consumer behaviour and for a change, there is the need for an awareness campaign. In October, the Plastic Foundation, a platform for plastic manufacturers, urged the government to consider a timeframe of a minimum of six months to a year to support the transition to an alternative. The economy in this case is not necessarily limited to the concern expressed by the industry owners that the sudden ban will risk their investment. There is also the informal recycling economy that provides a livelihood for many.
For the government to viably stop the use of environmentally hazardous polythene bags and single-use plastic, it should consider developing a long-term plan in consultation with all stakeholders involved in the informal recycling economy. A ban on polythene bags alone, without a recycling and waste management programme and support for stakeholders so that they can transition to producing biodegradable alternatives, will not be sustainable in the fight against plastic pollution.
