Polythene ban: Use is not stopped, lack of authorities monitoring

Published : Saturday, 4 January, 2025 at 6:54 PM Count : 471

Although the interim government has taken various steps to protect the balance of banned plastic, polythene and the environment, the use of plastic polythene is not decreasing. Traders are supplying banned polythene bags to transport goods to buyers in different markets of Chittagong city on the pretext of having no alternative use.

Visiting various kitchen markets in the city, it was found that polythene is still being used even after the ban. There is no discrimination among the buyers and sellers. Polythene bags are being used with fish, meat, vegetables, eggs, vegetables, vegetables, fruits, sweets and other daily necessities. Many buyers and sellers do not know about the ban on the use of polythene. Although the concerned authorities have been conducting a campaign against the use of polythene since the beginning of November, it is not visible now.

Murad, a vegetable trader at Kazirhat Bazar, told that, Jute and cloth bags are more expensive than polythene, it is not possible for us to provide them for free. Buyers do not want to take products without polythene. As a result, we are forced to use polythene bags. We have to sell our products. If the government arranges alternative bags at affordable prices, then we have no problem in using them.

Rakib Uddin, a fruit seller at Bahaddarhat Bazar, told that, "I kept another bag as an alternative to polythene, which is not directly plastic. If we want to give fruits in those bags to the buyers, they are reluctant to use these bags. As a result, we were forced to return to the previous use of polythene bags.

Md Al Amin, a buyer who came to Kazir Dewri Bazar, said, "It is true that polythene causes serious harm to our environment. So it needs to stop. Not only will it be closed, the use of environmentally friendly bags should be ensured as an alternative. Its use should be stopped gradually, ensuring alternative use. Otherwise, it is not possible to get the desired benefits even if various steps are taken.

Super shops in the market are using jute, paper and cloth bags as an alternative to banned polythene bags. Although they use alternative bags to polythene bags, buyers have to count money for it.

When asked, the manager of Chawkbazar Best Bay told, "We are supplying products to the buyers in alternative bags of polythene as per government instructions." We are using eco-friendly jute bags.

Meanwhile any type of polythene bag and plastic is not easily decomposed in any form. Although this bag is discarded after use, it takes about 400 to 500 years to mix with the soil. Even if it goes deep into the soil, it destroys the natural layer of soil. The chemicals in polypropylene bags destroy soil organic, trees, soil fertility and agricultural productivity.

According to Chattogram City Corporation (CCC) sources, about 1 crore banned polythene bags are being used every day in the city, which has a population of about 70 lakh. And these polythene bags are being thrown into the rivers, canals, water bodies, soil-hills-forests and sea estuaries of Chattogram. As a result, the flow of water is being blocked and waterlogging is being created. In the last fiscal year, the CCC's clean department collected 8,20,785 tones of waste. Of this, 15 percent is marginal and polythene waste. The CCC collects about 1,23,118 tones of marginal and polythene waste every year.

Sonia Sultana, director of the Department of Environment's Chattogram Metropolitan, told, "We are distributing awareness leaflets along with campaigns in different parts of the city. People are used to using polythene for a long time, it will take time to stop using it completely. Conscious people should explain to the common people about the harmful aspects of using polythene. Field-level officials of the district administration and the Department of Environment have been instructed to request the people coming to the market to use jute and cloth bags instead of using polythene, she added.

FP/MI