The plastic industry is receiving bank loans to expand business despite producing goods that harm the environment while biodegradable production initiatives are being deprived of financial support, which is undermining the country’s green goals.
Environmental activists and government officials made the remarks during a seminar on “Plastic Pollution in Forests and Other Natural Ecosystem: Way Forward” at the Parjatan Bhaban in Dhaka on Wednesday. The seminar was jointly organised by Arannayk Foundation and Institution of Foresters Bangladesh (IFB).
Speakers said many eco-friendly commercial ventures fail due to the lack of financial assistance and bank loans
They also demanded banning single-use plastic in Saint Martin’s Island and the Sundarbans.
Dr Farhina Ahmed, secretary, Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, virtually joined the event as its chief guest.
Speaking on the occasion, she informed that the ministry has formulated policies to safeguard Saint Martin’s.
The secretary said the government is working towards green growth and also highlighted the three conditions of sustainable development; intra-generational equity, intergenerational equity and transboundary equity.
Speaking as a special guest, Iqbal Abdullah Harun, additional secretary of the ministry, assured that eco-friendly ventures will get incentives in future.
“Installing a circular economy is a must in order to reduce plastic pollution,” he added.
Chief Conservator of Forest Md Amir Hosain Chowdhury said, “The Sundarbans is being piled up with tonnes of plastics making the germination and respiration of plants difficult.”
He called for a coordinated effort from the government and private sectors to curb plastic pollution.
Meanwhile, delivering the opening speech, Arnnayk Foundation Executive Director Rakibul Hasan Mukul said, “Municipalities and other government agencies are often dumping plastics, putting the forests, rivers and bays in great danger.”
IFB President Istiaq Uddin Ahmad chaired the event.
Delivering the closing remarks, he warned that Bangladesh is lagging behind in plastic waste management and urged for ensuring accountability for performing the conservation roles to the environment.
Dr Shahriar Hossain, secretary general of ESDO, and Mostafa Yousuf, staff correspondent of the Daily Star, presented two papers at the programme.
They highlighted the alarming rate of the increase of plastic goods and their adverse impact on the ecosystem.
From 2005 to 2020, the consumption of plastic had gone up by five times. The use of plastic peaked at 9.77 lakh tonnes in 2020 during the Covid-19 pandemic, of which only 31 per cent was recycled, according to the papers.
