On September 9, the Ministry of Environment, Forests, and Climate Change announced through a notice that, starting from October 1, polythene and polypropylene bags will be banned in supermarkets. However, banning polythene use only in supermarkets is not enough. We must ensure the ban on its widespread use at all levels.
According to a 2023 research paper by the Environment and Social Development Organization (ESDO), “more than 25 million polythene bags are discarded daily in Dhaka after just one use, and on average, each household uses five polythene bags per day in the city.” Furthermore, another study shows that “Bangladesh produces an average of 825,000 tons of polythene waste annually.” In the past 20 years, the use of polythene bags has nearly tripled. This unrestrained use of polythene bags continues to rise, causing various problems. Polythene bags are non-biodegradable, highly flammable, expensive to recycle, and a major cause of marine pollution. Moreover, they are one of the main causes of urban flooding and waterlogging in recent times.
According to section 6(a) of the Bangladesh Environment Conservation Act 1995, “The production, import, marketing, sale, display, stocking, distribution, and commercial use of all types or any kind of polythene bags is completely illegal.” However, despite Bangladesh being the first country in the world to ban polythene bags in 2002, the ministry failed to implement this due to a lack of proper monitoring and enforcement of the law.
A survey conducted by the Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD) among 500 families found that 82.4% of people believe that if alternatives to polythene bags are created, their use will decrease, and 8% believe that attaching an additional cost to polythene bag usage will lead to a reduction in its use.
While the decision to ban polythene in supermarkets by current advisors is a step in the right direction, banning polythene use everywhere has become a demand of the times. It is now essential to introduce jute bags and “Sonali bags” across the country as alternatives to polythene bags.
Author: Md Ramjan Hossain Rony
Student, Department of Geography and Environment, Shahjalal University of Science and Technology
President, Green Explore Society