Plastic waste management remains a serious challenge in Bangladesh. According to BRAC's 2024 Baseline Study conducted in Cox's Bazar, an estimated 34.5 tonnes of plastic waste are mismanaged daily in the municipality -- much of it flowing into canals, drains, and eventually the sea.
The study also found that only 18 per cent of the population practices waste segregation at source, with many lacking access to formal waste collection services.
In response to the growing plastic pollution crisis, experts emphasized collaboration between communities and municipalities key to plastic waste solutions, at a high-level national dialogue titled "Municipal Waste Management: Addressing Plastic Pollution in Bangladesh" was held on Wednesday at InterContinental Dhaka.
Organised by BRAC under its flagship Plastic Free Rivers and Seas for South Asia (PLEASE) project -- funded by the World Bank with support from South Asia Co-operative Environment Programme (SACEP) and United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS) -- the event brought together senior government officials, municipal leaders, private sector representatives, researchers, and development practitioners.
AKM Tariqul Alam, Additional Secretary, Local Government Division (LGD) and Mohammad Navid Safiullah, Additional Secretary, Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) graced the event as guests of honour.
Bushra Nishat, Environmental Specialist, The World Bank, attended as the special guest. The welcome address was delivered by Imamul Azam Shahi, Programme Head, Urban Development Programme (UDP), while Md. Ekhtekharul Islam, a faculty member at the Independent University, presented the keynote.
Sankalita Shome, Chief Coordinator at the Bangladesh Sustainability Alliance (BSA), moderated the panel discussion.
Insights were shared by Rubaiya Afroz, Municipal Administrator, Cox's Bazar Municipality; Kazi Suman, Senior Chemist (Waste and Chemicals Management), Department of Environment (DoE); Rubina Ferdousi, Deputy Secretary, MoEFCC; Bitopi Das Chowdhury, Country Head of Corporate Affairs and Brand and Marketing, Standard Chartered Bangladesh; Ishrat Shabnam, Country Director, Practical Action; and Dharitri Kumar Sarkar, Joint Secretary (Climate Change), MoEFCC.
Speaking at the event, AKM Tariqul Alam emphasised the importance of preventing plastic waste from flowing downstream into the sea by strengthening systems that intercept waste along rivers and streams. He added that Bangladesh can benefit from both studying international best practices and scaling up homegrown, locally-led innovations in waste management.
Mohammad Navid Safiullah stated that the ministry has reinforced regulatory measures and scaled up enforcement to address the growing plastic pollution crisis. In parallel, it is actively promoting sustainable alternatives, such as jute- and potato starch-based products. He noted that initiatives like the PLEASE project are already producing promising results, including a 15 per cent improvement in source segregation and noticeable reductions in plastic waste hotspots -- demonstrating the impact of coordinated action and stakeholder commitment.
Bushra Nishat highlighted that although Bangladesh's per capita plastic use -- around 9 kg annually -- is significantly lower than that of countries like the USA or UK, the consequences of mismanaged plastic waste are much more severe.
