Friday, 29 March, 2024, 12:12 PM
Advance Search
Home

Plastic pollution affects poor the most

Published : Tuesday, 6 April, 2021 at 12:00 AM  Count : 492

Plastic pollution affects poor the most

Plastic pollution affects poor the most

According to a recent UNEP (United Nations Environmental Programme) report, titled "Neglected: Environmental Justice Impacts of Plastic Pollution", marginalised communities are the most badly hit people of plastic pollution. The report particularly focused on how the impact of plastics on vulnerable populations goes well beyond inefficient and sometimes non-existing waste management systems. It starts with issues related to oil extraction, through toxic environments and greenhouse gas emissions while affecting water distribution policies.

However, communities or people living near plastic production and waste sites are the most affected by plastic pollution. Rather alarmingly, plastic also makes up for 90% of the pollution found in the oceans today. More to it, the new report points out three external impacts from using plastic:  First, ecosystem degradation due to leakage, especially in the marine environment. Second, stands the fossil fuel emissions from plastic production and incineration of disposed materials, and third comes the health and environmental impacts including biodiversity loss from toxic substances.

While the recent UNEP report serves as a wakeup call, the pollution scenario and its victims at home are not in peace. Reckless plastic pollution and mismanagement of plastic waste recycling in Bangladesh continues to cause massive problems, blocking the country's drainage system at an accelerating rate while harming the environment, wildlife, and the overall health of its citizens.

Not too long ago, the Environment and Social Development Organization (ESDO) reported that 3,744 tonnes of single-use plastics are produced nationwide each year--with the country discarding almost 1.1 million tons of plastic waste every year  including polythene bags--the harmful tonnages keep shooting up with every passing year. Nevertheless, the government in 2012 banned plastic production and the sale of polythene bags, and the ban has noticeably failed to have any major impact.

We believe it is time for stricter policies that must be adhered to, and look to alternatives, such as bringing back the use of jute bags to replace plastic ones. Another way to eliminate plastic pollution is to keep as much plastic as possible out of the waste stream. This must start by popularising the usage of reusable bags.

To finish with, in any manner, the poor and marginalised groups in Bangladesh are also the direct victims of plastic pollution since they are the closest linked to production, recycling and also to make out a livelihood based on reselling used plastic items. These marginalised people are in the first line of fire due to their close physical contact with plastic and polythene items every day.

Unless we considerably reduce our dependence on plastic based materials soon, we fear, overall detrimental impacts on our poor people would only keep increasing, adding more to the global woe.






Latest News
Most Read News
Editor : Iqbal Sobhan Chowdhury
Published by the Editor on behalf of the Observer Ltd. from Globe Printers, 24/A, New Eskaton Road, Ramna, Dhaka.
Editorial, News and Commercial Offices : Aziz Bhaban (2nd floor), 93, Motijheel C/A, Dhaka-1000.
Phone: PABX- 41053001-06; Online: 41053014; Advertisement: 41053012.
E-mail: info©dailyobserverbd.com, news©dailyobserverbd.com, advertisement©dailyobserverbd.com, For Online Edition: mailobserverbd©gmail.com
  [ABOUT US]     [CONTACT US]   [AD RATE]   Developed & Maintenance by i2soft