On Feb. 16, 2023, Md Shahab Uddin, the Bangladesh government's minister of environment, forests and climate change, said the government has taken steps to reduce single-use plastics by 90 percent by 2026.
"There are also plans to increase the recycling rate of plastic waste to 80 percent by 2030, reducing the amount of plastic waste generated to 30 percent by then."
The environment minister was the main guest speaker at a solid waste management seminar at a city hotel on Feb. 16. He said the government has developed a three-year action plan to stop the use of single-use plastics in coastal areas and will increase the use of eco-friendly and biodegradable materials.
As chief guest, Shahab Uddin said the government has drawn up a three-year action plan to check single-use plastics in coastal areas and increase the use of environmentally friendly and biodegradable materials.
The minister said hazardous waste management rules were developed in 2021 for solid waste management, adding that medical waste regulations are being updated.
He added that the government's national 3R waste management policy aims to completely eliminate waste disposal in open spaces, rivers, drains, canals and plains, and to encourage waste recycling by enforcing waste separation at the source, while creating a market for recycled products.
The meeting was attended by Habibun Nahar, Deputy Minister of Environment, Forest and Climate Change and Saber Hossain Chowdhury, Chairman of the Parliamentary Standing Committee of the Ministry of Environment, among others, and was chaired by Dr. Farhina Ahmed, Secretary of the Ministry of Environment.
