Although polythene is banned in Bangladesh as a threat to the environment, the use of the non-biodegradable still remains part of everyday life.
Bangladesh became the first country in the world to ban polythene bags two decades ago through an amendment to the ‘Bangladesh Environment Conservation Act, 1995’.
After the ban was imposed on April 8 in 2002 through the amendment to the law, the use of polybags was on the decline in the country. Now its production, marketing, sale and use are increasing day by day following lack of proper supervision.
The non-biodegradable items are now regularly available in kitchens, on the streets and in high-end shopping malls as well as the polybag is found everywhere across the country from urban areas to remote villages.
The situation has reached such a level that the number of factories in the country for manufacturing polybags before the ban, now the number of factories and the use of polybags have increased. About 80 per cent of people of the country use polythene and plastic items every day.
According to the study, the country had 300 polybag factories in 1999, and the number has already jumped to 3000. About 1 crore 40 lakh plastic-polythene bags are produced in the 3000 factories across the country every day.
Sharif Jamil, coordinator of Waterkeepers Bangladesh; on Friday (November 10, 2023) told the Bangladesh Post that polythene and substandard plastic products are being sold in open secret, however no one seems to do anything.
Advocate Syed Mahbubul Alam Tahin, an expert on public health law; said that production, use, marketing and transportation of polythene bags has been banned in the country since 2002 as per the ‘Bangladesh Environment Conservation Act’. At that time, the use of polythene in the country decreased due to various activities by the authorities concerned. However, polythene and plastic products are now available everywhere across the country due lack of proper supervision and no effective enforcement of the law, he said.
The polythene used for various purposes goes in the form of waste in the rivers and water bodies. It is polluting the country’s soil and water, which has long-term effects.
About 200,000 tonnes of fish come from all the rivers of the country every year. According to the Department of Fisheries, 547 tonnes of fish are caught from these rivers daily on average.
However, a survey carried by the World Bank shows that 73 thousand tonnes of plastic and polythene fall in the country’s three main rivers-- Padma, Meghna and Jamuna. The basins of the rivers now rank second in terms of polyethylene pollution.
Dr AKM Saiful Islam, a professor at the Institute of Water and Flood management of Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET); said that the plastic and polythene are mainly accumulating in the soil and rivers. The amount of plastic that has accumulated in soil and river over a long period of time needs to be identified and removed. Otherwise the soil and water of this country will be permanently destroyed. Cultivation of crops and fishing will also become difficult here if it is not done, he commented.
According to a recent study, plastic is causing danger to humans by damaging soil and water. There are many toxic chemicals with plastics. These chemicals enter the human body with soil after use, with air after burning and with food products. For this reason, diseases like high blood pressure and cancer are spreading.
Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Agricultural University (BSMRAU), Rajshahi Science & Technology University (RSTU), Jashore University of Science and Technology (JUST), The University of Đà Nẵng in Vietnam; and RMIT University of Australia jointly carried out the study on plastic pollution in Bangladesh.
The study titled ‘Current Scenario and Challenges of Plastic Pollution in Bangladesh: Impact on Agricultural Land and Local Ecosystem’ shows the terrible scenario of plastic pollution.
The research has revealed details about the production and usage patterns of plastic in Bangladesh. It is said that plastic and polythene are made in Bangladesh in about 3000 factories. The factories produce about 1 crore 40 lakh polythene bags per day.
Most of the factories are medium and small scale. However, most of the factories are located in Dhaka and Chattogram. The production management of the factories is not satisfactory. As a result, more pollution is created.
The study said that the effluents of the main rivers of the country fall into the Bay of Bengal. It is destroying the biodiversity of the sea.
However, 30,000 tonnes of plastic waste was found in the rivers around Dhaka alone. The waste has accumulated over the past few ages.
“Plastic is polluting our air and water at the same time. It enters our body through the food chain. If this continues, we will leave behind a sick generation,” said Professor Dr. Ahmad Kamruzzaman Majumder, chairman of Center for Atmospheric Pollution Studies (CAPS) and head of Department of Environmental Science at Stamford University.
The bottom of the country’s rivers and sea is filled with polythene. Polythene and plastic bottles are one of the reasons for submergence of different cities and towns of the country, including Dhaka city, following moderate to heavy rainfall. The sewage system in urban areas is collapsing due to rampant use of polythene.
The study says that 80 per cent of people in Bangladesh use polythene and plastic items in some way on a daily basis due to weak enforcement of the law.
About 200 tonnes of plastic medical waste is generated in Dhaka per day. Most of the hospitals dispose of their waste in an unplanned way. Along with such waste, various drugs and chemicals mix with river and sea water, making the environment seriously polluted.
Diseases like hepatitis, pneumonia, gangrene and typhoid spread rapidly from the hospital waste. Dhaka city alone generates 206 tonnes of medical waste per day, according to the study.
Most of the electronic goods in the country are made of plastic. These products are thrown away by consumers due to their perishability, thus becoming waste. Several serious pollutants and dangerous substances are found in these products.
Seven thousand industries in the country are dumping their untreated waste into the rivers. These wastes contain various harmful chemicals.
At the same time, thousands of car tires are burned every day. Apart from rubber, plastic is mixed in these tires. As a result, tiny plastic particles are mixed in the air by burning it.
The Department of Environment (DoE) has identified about 1,176 industries as serious polluters. Most of these wastes fall into Buriganga, Balu and Turag rivers.
The use of plastic and polythene is increasing rapidly in the country’s agriculture. Seeds of vegetables, various crops and fruits are mainly kept in polythene bags. Apart from this, the use of plastic tubes and water tanks has also increased more than before, says the study.
Cultivation of mulching system is increasing recently in cropland. At present, 1 crore 2 million hectares of land are being cultivated in this way. The cultivation is carried out by placing seeds in thick plastic pipes. The plastic particles get mixed with soil and water, which is damaging the soil and water in the long term.
Experts and environmentalists said that if the use of polythene and plastic products is not completely stopped, there may be a major disaster in the future. Polythene and plastic are accelerating environmental pollution. Low quality polythene bags, candy wrappers, packets of biscuits and packets of chips, packets of shampoo, packets and bottles of different types of juices, water and soft water bottles are now available in canals, ponds, rivers and even the sea.
They suggested multipurpose use of jute. They said that jute bags should be made available in the country as alternatives for polybags. They also suggested the government follow the example of countries that have successfully banned polythene bags.
Sharif Jamil said that Bangladesh is one of the top 10 polyethylene producing and consuming countries in the world. Polythene and plastic are being removed from all over the world. However, if the situation of rampant polythene use in Bangladesh continues, it will bring a serious impact. Even if polythene is buried in the ground, it takes about 400 years to decompose. Is such a situation, there is no initiative to increase the use of alternative products, he opined.
Talking to Bangladesh Post, he further said that the government has banned production, marketing, carrying, transportation of polythene. However, it doesn’t give guidelines on which alternative keys to use. As a result, the law is on paper. The government should take the initiative to stop the production and use of polythene with all stakeholders. All ministries concerned should be involved in this work, he added.
According to the ‘Bangladesh Environment Conservation Act,’ if anyone is found violating the ban over polythene use he would face an imprisonment of 1-10 years, or a fine of Tk 50,000-10 lakh, or both.
However, the High Court on January 6 in 2020 directed the authorities concerned to enforce the plastic ban seriously and issued an order to reduce use of polybags.
The higher court also asked the authorities concerned to remove polybags completely from all restaurants and shopping malls, especially in coastal regions, by 2022.