Govt to raid polythene factories from Nov 3

The polythene making factories will be raided from November 3 and legal action will be taken against the manufacturers, says Tapan Kumar Biswas, Additional Secretary of the Environment, Forests and Climate Ministry.

Despite the official ban on polythene, it is still in use, as revealed during Biswas's monitoring visit to the Mohammadpur Krishi Market in the capital on Friday (November 1).

“Changing people's habits takes time, but the ban will remain. The government is working to raise awareness through ongoing monitoring,” said Biswas.

The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change has formed a five-member committee, led by adviser Syeda Rizwana Hasan, to eliminate the use of polythene shopping bags.

Rizwana said all types of market authorities, including kitchen markets, will voluntarily stop the use of illegal polythene shopping bags from October 1. The Department of Environment (DoE) will carry out awareness campaigns.

Bangladesh banned polythene bags in 2002, becoming the first country in the world to do so. But a lack of suitable alternatives helped its return.

The average per capita consumption of plastic increased from 3kg per year in 2005 to 9kg in 2020. In Dhaka alone, the average consumption of plastic went from 9.2kg annually in 2005 to 22.25kg in 2020, according to The World Bank.