100% plastic waste to be recycled by 2030
The government will also bansingle-use plastics in Bangladesh by 2022, Mamun said
Manufacturers, importers and brand owners will have to collect 100% plastic waste they generate by 2030.
They have to recycle the used plasticstoo, said Abdullah Al Mamun, deputy director of the Department of Environment, while presenting a draft of sustainable plastic management plan in a workshop on Wednesday.
The workshop titled "Sustainable management of plastic to leverage circular economy and achieve SDG in Bangladesh" was organised by the World Bank and the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change.
Collection of 50% of plastic packaging waste will be ensured by a regulatory framework including Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR). The EPR, a provision of Solid Waste Management Rules obliges companies to take back products from consumers after the shelf life expires.
The environment ministry finalised the rules to be enforced soon.
The government will also bansingle-use plastics in Bangladesh by 2022, Mamun said.
The plastic management plan has short-, medium- and long-term goals.
In shortterm, littering of plastics and leakage into the environment will be mitigated by 2024.
A baseline study will be conducted on marine plastic waste, and plastic waste collection, transportation and disposal systems will be improved. EPR will be implemented in City corporations and municipalities.Bio-degradable bags and alternative packaging materials will be promoted between 2021 and 2024.
As part of mid-termtargets, plastic recovery and recycling will be increased between 2025 and 2030. And in the long run from 2031 and onward, sustainable plastic production and consumer society will be established.
Meanwhile, the World Bank awarded four teams for winning a competition titled Plastic Circularity Innovation Challenge in separate categories. The competition had sought innovative solutions to plastic pollution in Bangladesh.
Each winning team of participants from universities, including Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology and North South University, received Tk 80,000.
"Addressing plastic pollution is a critical development agenda for ensuring green and smart growth. In Dhaka city alone, plastic waste has gone up from 178 tonne per day in 2005 to 646 tonneper day in 2020," said Mercy Tembon, World Bank country director for Bangladesh and Bhutan.
