Green Activists Call for Strict Enforcement of Law to Fight Plastic Pollution

SEATTLE (Scrap Monster): Green activists have called upon the Bangladesh government to strictly implement the Environment Conservation (Amendment) Act 2002 to regulate the use of plastics in the country. The recommendation was made during discussions held at the capital city of Dhaka, in connection with celebration of World Environment Day. It also highlighted the need for promoting alternatives to plastic, such as jute and paper, in order to check rising plastic consumption.

Iqbal Habib, Joint Secretary, Bangladesh Poribesh Andolon (Bapa) urged political parties to include their demands in their manifesto, so as to eliminate use of polythene and single-use plastic bags, which are being identified as the most widely used plastic items.

The demands include formation of a cell towards strict implementation of the Act, imposition of higher tax on use of polythene and plastic, implementation of legal actions to illegal units that produce plastic items, making producers responsible for waste collection and recycling, imposition of hefty fines for polluters and conduct of regular public awareness campaigns across the country.

Effective reuse, recycling and composting of single-use plastic items could reduce plastic pollution, the discussions noted.