Home ›› 22 Dec 2021 ›› Editorial
The use of plastic and its management have been a global topic and an issue deserving much policy intervention, given its wider use and diverse consequences.
In Bangladesh, the increasing use of plastic threatens the environment and causes health issues. Government directives and court rulings in this regard sometimes appear unrealistic, and thus objectives end in fiasco. A World Bank report unveiled on Monday provided a detailed picture about the increasing use of plastics, including the disposable ones. The article published in this daily on Tuesday said the annual per capita plastic consumption in Bangladesh’s urban areas tripled in the last 15 years to 9 kg.
It found that Dhaka’s plastic consumption is 3.13 times higher on average than the national average of 22.25 kg per person. In 2005, per capita plastic consumption in the capital was 9.2 kg, which increased to 17.2 kg in 2014 and 22.25 kg last year.
The report noted that the average per capita consumption in urban areas was 3.01 kg in 2005, which rose to 3.5 kg in 2014. From there, the consumption soared to 9 kg in 2020. It added that 70 per cent of the plastic waste was mismanaged as a significant amount litters the rivers and water bodies and finally pollutes the ocean.
Single-use plastics, or disposable plastics, are used only once before they are thrown away or recycled. These items are things like plastic bags, straws, coffee stirrers, soda, and water bottles, and most food packaging.
Wildlife, wildlife habitat, and humans are equally affected by the use of plastic and its mismanagement. According to a research report, it is estimated that 1.1 million to 8.8 million tonnes of plastic waste enter the ocean from coastal communities each year.
As of 2019, 368 million tonnes of plastic is produced globally each year; 51 per cent of which comes from Asia, where China is the world’s largest polluter. From the 1950s up to 2018, an estimated 6.3 billion tonnes of plastic has been produced worldwide, of which an estimated nine per cent has been recycled and another 12 per cent has been incinerated. It is pertinent to state that the use of plastics cannot be contained unless a better option is discovered globally, or locally. The use of plastics in rich countries is widespread with proper recycling mechanisms and littering prohibitions in place.
With the soaring growth of income level, consumption of packaged food and soft drinks are on the rise. Policymakers should focus more on recycling plastics, and turning the waste into wealth. Banning plastics is not a solution, as an impractical regulatory move yields no result. According to the World Bank baseline report, Bangladesh produces 14,09,094 tonnes of plastic yearly. While 69 per cent of them are used in the country, the rest is exported.
Of the 9,77,000 tonnes of plastic waste generated in the country, 70 per cent are mismanaged and only 30 per cent is collected for recycling, according to the baseline study conducted between November 2019 and November 2020.
“With rapid growth and urbanisation, Bangladesh faced a sharp increase in both plastic use and pollution. The Covid-19 pandemic has escalated the problem of mismanaged plastic waste,” said Dandan Chen, World Bank acting country director for Bangladesh.
World Bank Senior Environment Specialist and co-author of the report Eun Joo Allison Yi said the National Action Plan for Sustainable Plastic Management focuses on the circular use of plastic-based on a 3R strategy: Reduce, Reuse and Recycle.
In Bangladesh, particularly in urban areas, the habit of throwing plastic bottles must be stopped by putting enough bins on city streets and imposing penalties on lawbreakers. Many countries in the world are producing biogas and even diesel from plastic waste.
The government has to go for the latest technology to turn waste into assets. Enacting or enforcing laws, without understanding the ground level reality, is bound to be in vain. Popularising jute bags could be a better option in reducing the dependence on plastic bag use.
Any phase-out target of plastic will not work as long as no alternative is in place. The policy should target recycling and better management of waste choking wildlife, water bodies and the ocean.
