DECEMBER 2021

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TOWARDS A MULTISECTORAL ACTION
PLAN FOR SUSTAINABLE PLASTIC
MANAGEMENT IN BANGLADESHPLASTIC MANAGEMENT

2CONTENTS
GLOSSARYABBREVIATIONS AND ACRONYMS
ACKNOWLEDGMENTSEXECUTIVE SUMMARY

06
07
08
10

CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION

16
16
16

CHAPTER 2 OUTCOMES OF THE BASELINE STUDY

20
20

1.1
1.2

2.1

2.2

2.3

2.4
2.5
2.6

Background
Methodology for Developing a Sustainable Action Plan
Baseline Study
Stakeholder Consultations and Bilateral Meetings
Development of an Action Plan for Sustainable
Plastic Management

Waste Composition Characteristics
Waste Composition Analysis at the Household Level andLandfills in the DNCC
Waste Composition Analysis at the Household Level andLandfills in the DSCCPer Capita Plastic Consumption
Plastic Waste Composition in Households and Landfills
Household Plastic Waste Composition
Landfill Plastic Waste Composition
Household Plastic Waste according to Category
Landfill Plastic Waste according to Category
Material Flow Analysis for Waste
Material Flow Analysis for Mixed Solid Waste in the DNCC
and DSCC
Material Flow Analysis for Plastics in Bangladesh
Material Flow Analysis for Plastic Waste in Dhaka
Hot spot Assessment for Marine Plastic Debris
Dhaka
Four Rivers around Dhaka
Chattogram City
Cox’s Bazar
Stakeholder Analysis of the Dhaka Metropolitan Area
Downstream Plastic Waste Value Chain
Employment Generated by Plastic Waste Recycling in Dhaka

29

31

36
41
42

3

CHAPTER 3: REGULATORY ANALYSIS FOR PLASTIC MANAGEMENT
Policies and Regulations on Plastic

43
43

CHAPTER 4: ROAD MAP AND ACTION PLAN FOR SUSTAINABLE
PLASTIC MANAGEMENT IN BANGLADESH

50

3.1

4.1
4.2
4.3
4.4
4.5
4.6

Opportunities for Policy Development
Action Plan for Sustainable Plastic Management
Institutional Framework for Sustainable Plastic Management
Monitoring of Proposed Action Plan
Dissemination of the Action Plan
Linkage with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals

REFERENCES
Appendices A: Detailed Action Plan for Sustainable Plastic Management in Bangladesh
Appendices B: Maps showing Location of Hot Spots
Appendices C: Stakeholder Consultations
Appendices D: Policies Related to Plastic Management

51
54
62
63
65
65

66
68
72
78
82

LIST OF TABLES

4

Table 2.1: Composition of Plastic Waste Items in DNCC and DSCC Households, according
to Category of Plastic
Table 2.2: Composition of Plastic Waste Items in DNCC and DSCC Landfills, according toCategory of Plastic
Table 2.3: Collection of Plastic Waste by Different Actors
Table 2.4: Per-Kilogram Value (in BDT) of Plastic Waste in Dhaka
Table 3.1: Ongoing and Planned Projects
Table 4.1: Proposed action plan for sustainable plastic management

27
41
41
46
58

Appendices
TABLE A-1: Detailed action plan for sustainable plastic management in Bangladesh
TABLE C-1: People interviewed during the study
TABLE D-1: Waste related policy and legislations in Bangladesh
TABLE D-2: Plan Developed by DoE for SUP management
TABLE D-3: Plan Developed by DoE for plastic management

67
78
82
84
84

26

LIST OF FIGURES

Figure I:
Figure II:

Road map for sustainable plastic management indicating strategies
12
Summary of action plan for sustainable plastic management indicating
strategies and key actions
14
Figure 1.1: Methodology for developing a sustainable action plan
17
Figure 2.1: Household and landfill waste composition in the DNCC, 2020
20
Figure 2.2: Composition of landfill waste in the DSCC, 2020
22
Figure 2.3: Per capita plastic consumption, 2005, 2014 and 2020
23
Figure 2.4: Household and landfill plastic waste composition in the DNCC and DSCC
24
Figure 2.5: Composition of household plastic waste, 2005 and 2020
24
Figure 2.6: Waste Composition in Landfills, 2005 and 2020
25
Figure 2.7: Ranking of household plastic waste in the DNCC and DSCC according
to category
28
Figure 2.8: Material flow analysis for municipal waste in the DNCC and DSCC
29
Figure 2.9: Material flow diagram for plastics in Bangladesh
30
Figure 2.10: Material flow analysis for plastic waste in the DNCC and DSCC 2020
30
Figure 2.11: Hot spots in Dhaka
32
Figure 2.12: Composition of solid waste in Chattogram
34
Figure 2.13: Composition of waste disposed of at Kostori Para Landfill, Cox’s Bazar
35
Figure 2.14: Composition of waste disposed at Laboni Beach, Cox’s Bazar
36
Figure 2.15: Supply chain of plastic materials and products
37
Figure 2.16: Plastic recycling value chain in Bangladesh & plastic recycling system in Dhaka 38
Figure 3.1: Key milestones for sustainable plastic management in Bangladesh
48
Figure 4.1: Enabling framework for sustainable plastic management
50
Figure 4.2: Circular Economic Model contributing to Green Growth
Figure 4.3: Road map for sustainable plastic management indicating strategies &key actions
54
Figure 4.4: Road map for sustainable plastic management indicating strategies & targets 55
Figure 4.5: Proposed institutional mechanism to implement Plastic Action Plan
63
Figure 4.6: Monitoring framework for proposed Action Plan
64
Figure 4.7: SDGS directly and indirectly linked to plastic management
65

5GLOSSARY
Biodegradable: Capable of being reduced to finer particles (degraded or decomposed)by microbiological organisms.
Brand owners: Companies that produce branded consumer products and use
packaging material for them. These companies also produce several types of plastic
products and commodities.
Feriwalla: A person who purchases or barters for waste and old materials from different
sources by using their own capital or taking loans from the owner of the shop to which
they sell the materials. They usually carry a cane basket on their head to carry the load.
Hot spot: A place where plastics leak into the environment (including land, air, water,and marine environment). Actions to address hot spots are considered in terms ofinterventions and instruments (Boucher et al. 2020). Hot spots for the current study arelocations along the waste management value chain where waste accumulates regularly
and is not collected and transported to a landfill for proper disposal.
Informal sector: Extensive economic activity that is usually small-scale, labor-intensive,
unregulated, and competitive.
Khal: River tidal channels.
Nonorganic material: Material that microorganisms cannot degrade.
Organic material: Material derived from animal or vegetable sources thatmicroorganisms can generally degrade.
Recycling: The process by which waste materials are transformed into new products insuch a manner that the original products may lose their identity.
Recyclable: Able to be collected, separated, and processed to be used as raw material
in the manufacture of a new product.
Tokais (means “I pick”): Individuals who collect waste from waste bins, roadsides, anddump sites.
Solid waste management: Systematic control of generation, storage, collection,transport, separation, processing, recycling, recovery, and final disposal of solid waste.
Vangari dokan (Vangari = scrap; dokan = shop): Small shops that buy and sell
recyclable waste and old and scrap items.

6

ABBREVIATIONS AND ACRONYMS
BDT
BPGMEA
CSR
DCC
DNCC
DoE
DSCC
DWASA
EPR
FMCG
GHG
HDPE
INR
LDPE
MLP
MoEFCC
NCC
PE
PET
PP
PPP
PS
PVC
RDF
SDG
SUP
3R
TPY
UNDP
VAT

Bangladeshi taka
Bangladesh Plastic Goods Manufacturers & Exporters Association
corporate social responsibility
Dhaka Corporation
Dhaka North City Corporation
Department of Environment
Dhaka South City Corporation
Dhaka Water Supply and Sewerage Authority
Extended producer responsibility
Fast-moving consumer goods
Greenhouse gas
High-density polyethylene
Indian rupee
Low-density polyethylene
Multilayer plastic
Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change
Narayanganj City Corporation
Polyethylene
Polyethylene terephthalate
Polypropylene
Public-private partnership
Polystyrene
Polyvinyl chloride
Refuse-derived fuelSustainable Development Goal
Single-use plastic
Reduce, reuse, recycle
Tons per year
United Nations Development Programme
Value added tax

7

ACKNOWLEDGMENTT

his report was prepared by a World Bank team comprising Suiko Yoshijima,
Bushra Nishat, Eun Joo Allison Yi, Monika Kumar, Daniel Payares Montoya
and Shiko Hayashi. Additional critical support throughout various stagesof preparation was provided by Dandan Chen, Gayatri Acharya, Delphine Arri, andPawan G. Patil. The baseline study that became the basis of this report was carried out
by Waste Concern Consultants; the study team of the baseline study was headed by
Abu Hasnat Md. Maqsood Sinha and Iftekhar Enayetullah. Support was provided by
the Environmental Management Centre LLP for finalization of the document. Overall
guidance was provided by Christophe Crepin and Mercy Miyang Tembon.
The work was done in full collaboration with the Ministry of Environment, Forest andClimate Change (MoEFCC) and the Department of Environment (DoE). The team would
like to express its gratitude to Md. Mostafa Kamal, Md. Moniruzzaman, Keya Khan,
Parimal Singha, Mohammad Manirul Islam, Mohammad Abdul Wadud Chowdhury
and Md. Lutfor Rahman of MoEFCC and Md. Ashraf Uddin, A.K.M Rafique Ahammed,
Ziaul Haque, Razinara Begum, and Abdullah Al-Mamun of DoE for their insightfulcomments and feedback. The study team would also like to mention the support
from Shamim Ahmed, the Director and former President of the Bangladesh Plastic
Goods Manufacturers & Exporters Association (BPGMEA), and Md. Anwar Hossain, theDirector General (Research and Statistics) of the National Board of Revenue (NBR) to
provide valuable data and information for the study.
The team would also like to thank all the stakeholders, especially the members of
the Technical Advisory Committee, representatives from local government, academia,
research and development, private companies, and civil society organizations. All ofthem provided very useful feedback during the various discussions and consultations
that took place in Dhaka.
Constructive comments on the report were received from the following peer reviewers:
Anjali Acharya, Milagros Cecilia Aime, and Nishat Shahid Chowdhury. The team would
also like to acknowledge several other colleagues and experts for their suggestionsand valuable comments, including Iqbal Ahmed, Mehrin Mahbub, Michael John
Conathan, Navneet Chadha, Nina Tsydenova, Shilpa Banerji and Satoshi Yoshida. The
team also thanks Karin Kemper for her encouragement and support.
The report was edited by Lauri Scherer. The cover page photo was provided by
Shegufta Shahriar. The cover was designed by Roots International and report design
was undertaken by BeeBuzz MEDIA.
Funding for this study was provided by PROBLUE (https://www.worldbank.org/
problue), an umbrella multidonor trust fund administered by the World Bank that
supports the sustainable and integrated development of marine and coastal resourcesin healthy oceans.
8PLASTIC TYPES
SymbolAbbreviation

Type

Use

1

PETE, PET

Polyethylene
terephthalate

Water bottles, drink bottles, cooking oil containers

2

HDPE

High-density
polyethylene

Buckets (pails), detergent bottles, food containers

3

PVC

Polyvinyl chloride

Food trays, pipes, chairs

4

LDPE

Low-density
polyethylene

Carrier bags, bread bags, food storage containers

5

PP

Polypropylene

Straws, shampoo bottles, bottle caps

6

PS

Polystyrene

Vending cups, packing peanuts, CD cases

7

Other

Any other plastics

Melamine, packaging made from mixed plastics

9

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
As Bangladesh’s economy grows and the country becomes rapidly urbanized, plastic
pollution has become an escalating problem, especially from single-use plastic (SUP)
packaging materialThe rapid pace of urbanization and development has increased the consumptionof plastic products and the amount of waste generated, especially because of
the convenience, light weight, and durability of plastic. This plastic waste andpackaging often end up clogging rivers and other water bodies. Plastic also degrades
over time into small particles called microplastics (commonly defined as less than 5
mm in diameter) that are released into the environment and pose a significant risk tohumans and ecosystems. Bangladesh’s annual per capita plastic consumption in urban
areas rose from 3.0 kg in 20051 to 9.0 kg in 20202. The annual per capita consumptionof plastic in Dhaka is even higher (24 kg). According to detailed analysis based ondata collected from a field survey done in 2020 on the waste composition at landfills
in Dhaka North City Corporation and Dhaka South City Corporation, single-use thin
shopping bags account for most of the waste. Multilayer plastic (MLP) was ranked
third after soiled flour, pulse, grain, and rice packs. MLP includes all kinds of food andnon-food wraps and packaging materials (e.g., mini packs).
COVID-19 has increased the use of SUP by increasing reliance on single-use personal
protective equipment and by significantly affecting lifestyles, resulting in consumptionchanges that have generated even more plastic waste. The plastic industry noted thisand has exploited the opportunity to push for greater use of SUP as the most hygienic,
safest option to combat the virus. Simultaneously, current low oil prices make plastic
waste recycling less economically favourable. The plastic builds up in waste piles that, if
not burned openly, block drains, pollute waterways, and threaten marine life. Informal
sector workers who collect waste and recyclables are exposed to the virus while thedemand for recyclables plummets, affecting them financially. Furthermore, because
COVID-19-contaminated plastic waste is generally incinerated, costs of treatment are
high. COVID-19 has thus increased plastic pollution, necessitating urgent action toprevent and reduce plastic waste.

NEED FOR A MULTISTAKEHOLDER, MULTISECTORAL APPROACH
In accordance, the government of Bangladesh has responded to the challenges by
issuing bans and regulations focused mainly on production and consumption. The
1 Consumption figure based on waste composition figures detailed in Enayetullah, I, Sinha, A, H M, M &Khan, S, S, A 2005, Urban Solid Waste Management Scenario of Bangladesh: Problems and Prospects, Waste
Concern, Dhaka, Bangladesh.
2 Based on detailed survey on waste composition of households and landfills in Dhaka city in 2020. This data
has been extrapolated based on projections of urban waste compositions of 2005 and 2014 to estimate theoverall urban plastic consumption in Bangladesh. It should be noted, 2005 report was based on detailed fieldsurvey in Dhaka and 2014 report used filed data from 271 urban localities in Bangladesh.
10

A M U LT I S E C T O R A L A C T I O N P L A N F O R B A N G L A D E S H

Lessons from the 2002 Plastic Shopping Bag Ban
Bangladesh was the world’s first country to ban plastic shopping bags through a regulatory order in2002 under the 1995 Environment Act. The initial response of this pioneering effort was positive but
use of plastics bags has increased over time. The causes were identified by a study done by United
Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) in 2018. The study assessed extensively the effect of SUP
bans in over 100 countries that introduced full or partial bans on single-use plastic (SUP) bags,
including Bangladesh. Results show selective banning and frequent changes in the policies, no control
at the manufacturing end, and lack of incentives to adopt alternatives are among the primary reasonsfor the bans’ lack of success (UNEP, 2018).
On the other hand, Bangladesh has been successful in promoting alternatives to plastic by implementing
the Jute Packaging Act 2010 for six essential items (paddy, rice, wheat, maize, fertilizer, sugar) andextending to eleven more commodities with the support of Bangladesh Bank.
More recently, DoE and the MoEFCC prepared a work plan to ban SUPs in the coastal townsof Bangladesh in response to Bangladesh’s high court order. The government has identified various
problematic SUPs that should be covered under the ban.
The 8th Five Year Plan mentions phasing out SUPs (e.g., single-use cups and plates, lollipop
wrappers, sachets, extruded polystyrene, plastic cutlery, cigarette filters, cotton swabs, coffee stirrers,
water and juice bottles, plastic bags) and multilayer plastic packaging.
Ministry of Environment, Forest, and Climate Change (MoEFCC) banned the use ofplastic shopping bags in 2002, but this had limited results. In 2020, a High Court order
was issued to ban SUP in coastal areas and all hotels and motels across the country. The
8th Five Year Plan (2020–2025) acknowledges that the dumping of household waste
into water bodies and neighborhoods is a major source of air and water pollution.
The plan now takes a holistic approach, in addition to production and consumption,and includes management of waste streams and regeneration acknowledging theimportance of collaboration among manufacturers, brand owners (producers ofconsumer products), city authorities, and other stakeholders in their efforts to collectand dispose of problematic packaging materials and emphasizes extended producer
responsibility (EPR). The Solid Waste Management Rules (SWMR) drawn up under theEnvironmental Conservation Act 1995 will be the overarching regulatory frameworkfor plastic waste management in the country.
Solutions require a multistakeholder, multisectoral approach that focuses ona circular economy — an economic system aimed at eliminating waste and thepromoting of circular use of resources.
Many initiatives need more interagency coordination. Challenges regarding plastics
should be addressed over the life cycle of a product, considering upstream anddownstream pathways. Circularity in the plastic economy with strategies focusing
on bans and as well as waste recycling. Options such as changing packaging design
and materials to minimize plastic waste, promoting alternatives to plastic, and using
more efficient technologies to convert plastic waste to recycled products need11

PLASTIC MANAGEMENT

to be sufficiently considered. Although policy frameworks address some of theseinterventions, the absence of a multistakeholder, multisectoral plan developed on
the principles of a circular economy makes it difficult for the government to address
problems with plastics in a holistic and sustainable manner. To address the life cycle ofplastic materials, industry associations (e.g., Bangladesh Plastic Goods Manufacturers
Association, Packaging Industries Association of Bangladesh) must be much more
involved. MoEFCC will need to coordinate with other ministries (such as Ministryof Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives, Ministry of Industries,
Ministry of Housing and Public Works, Ministry of Textiles and Jute, Ministry of
Education and Ministry of Posts, Telecommunications and Information Technology)
to facilitate the active participation of relevant agencies at the national and local
level. The informal sector also plays an important role in plastic waste management in
Bangladesh, so attention must be paid to socioeconomic effects on this sector whendeveloping an action plan.

A FOCUS ON CIRCULAR ECONOMY
A clear vision, strategies addressing the plastic life cycle, and an enabling frameworkfor formulating a sustainable plastic management plan are necessary. Towards that
end, a vision statement has been developed: to achieve circular economy leveraging
the 3R strategy (reduce, reuse, recycle) to avoid, intercept, and redesign plastics topromote a green growth pathway for Bangladesh. Sustainable plastic management
is visualized on a life cycle basis as the foundation for such a plan to ensure that acircular economy approach is used to derive strategies and actions.

FIGURE I: Road map for sustainable plastic management indicating strategies
STRATEGY 4: Implement extended
producer responsibility, economic instruments
and innovative virtual platforms to reduce
plastic leakage.

STRATEGY 1: Adopt designfor-environment practices using recycledplastic and alternatives and safe
chemicals for primary and secondary
plastic production.

RAW
MATERIAL

REGENERATIONPRODUCTIONSTRATEGY 3:
Improve waste management
infrastructure to capture, sortand recycle plastics acrosssectors to divert plastics fromlandfills and eliminate hot
spots.

12

MANAGEMENTCONSUMPTIONSTRATEGY 2: Adopt resourceefficient technologies, incentivize
sustainable procurement, and influence
consumer behavior and choices.

A M U LT I S E C T O R A L A C T I O N P L A N F O R B A N G L A D E S HStrategies identified at each stage of the plastic life cycle ensure an integrated approach
built on circular principles: Production (Design and Manufacturing); Consumption,
Management (of Waste Streams), and Regeneration (see figure I). By closing the loop,
the circular economy has the potential to be an engine for green growth by creating
new value chains, green skills, employment, and innovative products while addressing
social and environmental challenges.

SHORT, MEDIUM, AND LONG-TERM TARGETS
A progressive approach is required to achieve the targets. An action plan for sustainable
plastic management in Bangladesh is proposed for implementation in phases suchas short term (2022–2023), medium term (2024–2026), and long term (2027–2030),
allowing for priorities and limitations on financial resources and institutional capacities.
The action plan provides a blueprint to achieve four interlinked and complementarytargets, which, in turn, help realize the strategies addressing the plastic life cycle.
Vision: To achieve circular economy re-enforcing the 3R strategy (reduce, reuse,recycle) to avoid, intercept, and redesign plastics to achieve a green growth
pathway for Bangladesh

PRODUCTION
Design and
Manufacturing

Sustainable

CONSUMPTIONMANAGEMENT
of Waste Stream

REGENERATIONSTRATEGY 1: Adopt
design-for-environment practices
using recycled plastic and alternatives
and safe chemicals for primary andsecondary plastic production.

TARGET 1: Achieve a 50 percent
reduction in virgin material consumption
in plastic manufacturing by 2030 byfacilitating circular material flows from the2020/21 baseline.

STRATEGY2: Adopt
resource-efficient technologies,
incentivize sustainable procurement,
and influence consumer behavior andchoices.

TARGET 2: Phase out targeted SUP
by at least 90 percent by 2026 from the2020/21 baseline.

STRATEGY 3: Improve waste
management infrastructure to capture,sort and recycle plastics across sectors
to divert plastics from landfills andeliminate hot spots.

TARGET 3: Reach a 50 percent
plastic waste recycling rate by 2025 and an
80 percent plastic waste recycling rate by2030 from the 2020/21 baseline.

STRATEGY 4: Implement
extended producer responsibility,
economic instruments and innovative
virtual platforms to reduce plastic
leakage.

TARGET 4: Achieve a 30 percent
reduction in annual plastic waste
generation by 2030 from the 2020/21
baseline.

*Note: Targets are cross-cutting and apply to more than 1 strategy. Detailed actions related to each target arepresented in Chapter 4.
13

PLASTIC MANAGEMENTFIGURE II: Summary of action plan for sustainable plastic management indicating strategies and key
actions
Medium Term (2024-2026)

Long Term (2027-2030)

Support research and development of alternatives
and reduction of plastics, starting with LDPE.

Introduce incentives (tax rebates) national andlocal funds and subsidies to support research anddevelopment of new designs and materials asalternatives to plastic.

Require all packaging to be 100% reusable,
recyclable, or compostable by certain date.

Set charges for plastics that have viable
alternatives in stores and supermarkets.

Support industry-led phaseout of problematic
packaging materials.

Establish standard and policy for labelling
hazardous materials.

Implement policy to eliminate hazardous
additives from plastic products and packaging.

PRODUCTION(Target 1)

Short Term (2022-2023)

MANAGEMENT(Target 3)

CONSUMPTION
Target 2)

Establish standard and policy for labelling
biodegradable materials.
Develop strategy to ban SUP items (productchains, instruments, timelines).

Enforce ban on single-use plastics (SUPs) startingwith coastal region. Scale up ban to national level.

Draft guidelines and rules to minimize plastic
packaging.

Develop public-private partnership to sharetechnologies to minimize plastic in products andpackaging.

Set incentives for brand owners, manufacturers,
and importers to follow guidelines forsustainable packaging.

Create consumer facing campaigns to promotereuse, recycling and reduce plastic consumption.

Introduce infrastructure to provide access to safe
drinking water in public spaces.

Create behaviour change toolkits to address
barriers for adopting plastic alternatives.

Through collaboration between various agencies,
implement policies and rules including the Solid
Waste Management Rules (SWR).

Introduce separate bins for organic, inorganic, toxic
waste, hazardous, biomedical waste and multilayer
plastic waste.

Create monitoring system for targets of the action
plan from baseline.

Track the targets throughout the value chain
including recycling facilities.

Revise targets, methodologies based onmonitoring.

Draft anti-litter regulations.

Initiate awareness programs on 3Rs across thecountry and develop curriculum for schools andcolleges.

Initiate awareness programs on 3Rs across thecountry and develop curriculum for schools andcolleges.

Initiate environmental certification for productmanufacturers who adopt environmental practices.

Raise awareness on environmental-certification.

Establish target on waste diversion from landfills
through composting, recycling and incineration.

Create a plastic management fund to support
initiatives and projects.

Through EPR, ensure environmentally soundmanagement of SUPs and other plastics for
producer or manufacturer or importer.

Introduce buyback or deposit refund scheme.

REGENERATION(Target 4)

Finalise and pilot EPR to enable industry cofunding of plastic-waste collection and recycling
systems.
Establish producer responsibility organizations.
Expand 3R strategy to include circular economy(e.g. via inclusion of minimum recycled content for
construction, textiles and packaging materials).

Create waste exchange marketplace.

Develop nationwide plastic material flow maps toinform policy and enhance government capacity
to facilitate circular material flows across various
sectors.

Standardize labeling of plastic products andmaterials so that different types of plastic waste
can be identified in the waste stream and enable
more efficient plastic recycling.

Note: EPR = extended producer responsibility; SUP = single-use plastic.
14

Formalise the plastic sorting and recycling
capacity.

A M U LT I S E C T O R A L A C T I O N P L A N F O R B A N G L A D E S HStructured to identify key elements of the enabling framework (Policy and regulatory
reforms; use of economic instruments, technology, and infrastructure; and capacity
building), the action plan lists activities that build on each other.
Implementation of the action plan thus identifies policy and regulatory reforms andeconomic instruments, technology and infrastructure, and capacity building necessary
to design sustainable products, promote circular economy processes, encouragesustainable consumption, and ensure that waste mismanagement is prevented. To
avoid duplication and ensure linkages with in-progress measures by the governmentof Bangladesh, the proposed actions have been harmonized with existing work plans
and regulations. Figure II prioritizes actions of the proposed action plan. The detailed
action plan with phase wise activities is shown in chapter 4 and Appendix A.

ALIGNING WITH SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALSThe Action Plan is aligned to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The
recommended action plan is aligned with the government’s commitment to
Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 14 (conserve and sustainably use the oceans,seas, and marine resources for sustainable development), particularly SDG target 14.1
(prevent and significantly reduce marine pollution of all kinds, particularly from landbased activities, including marine debris and nutrient pollution, by 2025). Although
the project is focused on SDG target 14.1, the project has co-benefits linked to SDG
3 (good health and well-being), SDG 11 (sustainable cities and communities), SDG 12(sustainable consumption and production), and SDG 13 (climate action).

KEY FACTORS TO BE CONSIDERED
Several key factors must be considered for the recommended action plan to be
implemented successfully. Raising stakeholder awareness is important, and behavioral
changes will be critical, so sustained communication with all key stakeholders andthe use of economic instruments is necessary. Supporting innovative plastic waste
reduction and recycling technologies, and inclusive business models with financial
assistance, will help greatly. Given the multistakeholder and multisectoral featuresof the action plan, it is important that implementation is carried out by DoE incoordination with and supported by relevant ministries and involving local bodies.
Robust institutional mechanisms and multisectoral implementation arrangements
need to be identified through consultations and established to translate the identified
interventions to support a circular plastic economy. Implementation of the action
plan also requires the allocation of budget and resources leveraging both public
and private finance. It is hoped that this plan will help the government achieve its
vision and become a role model for other countries. Actions in the action plan will be
updated as new challenges arise and more information becomes available.

15

CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION
1.1 BACKGROUNDI

n close collaboration with the government of Bangladesh, the World Bank
developed two analytical reports in 2018: the Country Environmental Analysis(World Bank 2018) and Toward a Blue Economy (Patil et al. 2018). Based on theirresults and recommendations, the government requested further support from theWorld Bank to identify and help implement concrete solutions to address pollution
and waste management. Given the rising consumption of plastic and the need forenvironmentally sound management of plastic waste, the government of Bangladesh
requested that such technical assistance be focused on plastic. Accordingly, the Bank
provided technical assistance, namely Leveraging the Circular Economy to Reduce
Industrial and Marine Pollution in Bangladesh, in 2018 to support Bangladesh indeveloping a strategy and action plan to reduce plastic pollution. The current report
was prepared based on needs collectively identified with the Ministry of Environment,
Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC); the Department of Environment (DoE); andrelevant stakeholders at the Workshop on Sustainable Management of Plastics to
Leverage the Circular Economy and Achieve Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
held in Bangladesh in February 2019. Following the recommendations from thisworkshop, the DoE established a multisectoral technical committee that worked as acoordination body to facilitate collaboration. The report analyzes the current policy andregulatory landscape in Bangladesh and makes recommendations for a multisectoral
action plan for sustainable management of plastic that Bangladesh can finalize andimplement in close consultation with the multisectoral technical committee.

1.2 METHODOLOGY FOR DEVELOPING A SUSTAINABLE ACTION
PLAN
Figure 1.1 and the following sections describe the methodology used in developing
the action plan. A baseline study was conducted to map material flows across the life
cycle of plastics (including raw material sourcing, production, consumption, resource
recovery stages), identify plastic waste hot spots, and identify the stakeholders.
The baseline study outcomes were used to identify the priority sectors and types ofplastic waste requiring management, considering the life cycle. Existing policies andpolicies in the draft stages were reviewed. Gaps and opportunities were identified andreflected in the formulation of the action plan.
The proposed road map and action plan were strengthened with stakeholder
consultations to understand the current challenges and opportunities for sustainable
management of plastic. Bilateral discussions with manufacturers and brand owners
were held to understand the role of multiple stakeholders in the proposed action plan.
16

A M U LT I S E C T O R A L A C T I O N P L A N F O R B A N G L A D E S H

FIGURE 1.1: Methodology for developing a sustainable action plan
Baseline study

Technology assessment

Regulatory analysis

Waste composition and material flows
analysis for plastic waste
Hot spots assessment for marine plastic debris
Stakeholder analysis for Dhaka
metropolitan area

Stakeholder consultations & bilateral meetings
Action plan for sustainable plastic management

Baseline Study
Field surveys were conducted in Dhaka, Chattogram, and Cox’s Bazar between
November 2019 and November 2020 to measure the quantity and compositionof plastic waste. The surveys identified hot spots where waste is indiscriminately
disposed of and waste collection services are not provided. These hot spots are also
key leakage points for solid waste to enter rivers and the ocean. As a starting point,field surveys were conducted in and around Dhaka because it is the focal urban
centre for plastic waste generation and marine and land pollution. The intention is
to gradually expand the scope of analysis and generate baseline data at national andsubnational levels.
A stakeholder analysis was performed to identify key actors along the supply chain ofplastic materials and products (upstream) and the material recovery chain inside andoutside Dhaka (downstream). The status of these individuals and organizations was
carefully analyzed and reviewed to understand their relative power and influence andthe resulting effect of promoting the circulation of plastic waste.
Waste Composition and Material Flow Analysis for Plastic Waste
Waste composition and material flow for waste were analyzed in the two city
corporation areas in Dhaka: Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC) and Dhaka SouthCity Corporation (DSCC). A field survey was conducted along the banks of the
Karnaphuli River, the Patenga Beach area of Chattogram metropolitan area, and thebeach areas of the Cox’s Bazar municipal area to analyze the composition of plastic
waste (e.g., percentage of wet weight) at the source (households) and landfill sites,
focusing on the types of plastic and gaps in volume between source and landfill sites.
The analysis resulted in four main findings:• The city corporations generated a large quantity of low-density polyethylene(LDPE), found in flexible packing waste, mainly multilayer plastic (MLP) and singleuse plastic (SUP). The waste is not collected because it has little market value andis therefore unattractive to informal waste collectors.
• Low-value materials such as flexible SUP packaging and MLP are ignored because
17

PLASTIC MANAGEMENT

they do not melt well and are time-consuming to collect. As a result, they end up
at illegal and legal waste disposal points and in landfills.
• Informal waste collectors worked in extremely hazardous environments and underunhealthy work conditions.
• Informal waste collectors also collect high-value, marketable (easy to sell) materials
such as polyvinyl chloride (PVC), polypropylene (PP), high-density polyethylene(HDPE), and polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottles.
A literature review and interview surveys were undertaken to determine the material
flow of plastic waste for consumption (by type), end-use application (by sector), andat the end of life (recycling and treatment). The material flows were mapped based on
the following:• Current and projected domestic production of major types of polymers• Trade balance (volume of imports and exports) of the polymer market• Domestic demand for different polymer types• Estimated plastic consumption according to end-use application sector• Breakdown of polymer application in packaging segment according to type• Collection and recycling of plastic waste attributed to the presence of informal
sector actors• Estimated quantity of recycled materials fed back into a production system
Hot spot Identification and Assessment for Marine Plastic Debris
The study also identified areas where the municipal government did not regularlycollect municipal solid waste (household and street waste). The main waste leakage
points into waterways were identified and mapped, including areas along the majorrivers surrounding Dhaka (Buriganga, Turag, Balu, Tongi Khal, and Shitalakshya Rivers)
and the Meghna River.
A rapid assessment (not a detailed survey) was performed along the banks of the
Karnaphuli River, Chaktai Khal, the Patenga Beach area of the Chattogram metropolitanarea, and the beach area of the Cox’s Bazar municipal area to identify major hot spots
where city authorities were not collecting municipal solid waste regularly.
Stakeholder Analysis for Dhaka Metropolitan Area
The stakeholder analysis focused on large formal entities and often vulnerable small
and medium enterprises and informal players (the list of participants is given inappendix C). For the stakeholder analysis, an interview survey was undertaken that
included but was not limited to producers such as plastic manufacturers, brand owners,
importers, retailers, recyclers, processors, and informal players. Key stakeholders wereselected for interviews, which covered the following topics:• Reduction of the use of plastic in products, quantities and types of plastic
production, and import, current and future plastic reduction measures, quantities,
and types of plastics recycled, recycling technologies in operation, challenges withplastic waste recycling, the need for inputs (e.g., quality, quantity), and possible
areas where plastic recycling could be improved and upgraded.
18

A M U LT I S E C T O R A L A C T I O N P L A N F O R B A N G L A D E S H• Willingness to participate in an extended producer responsibility (EPR) program,with a focus on– willingness to pay an advance based on the weight of production or sales,– willingness to join a producer responsibility organization; and– willingness to adopt targets for plastic waste collection based on their volume
of products introduced in the market• Average prices of recyclable plastics transacted between collectors, junk shops,
and recyclers, categorized according to type, in the current downstream market.

Potential recycling technology providers and investors in recycling technologies wereidentified.

Stakeholder Consultations and Bilateral Meetings
A stakeholder consultation workshop was held to understand the current challenges
and opportunities for the development of the sustainable plastic management planframework. Bi-lateral meetings with manufacturers and brand owners were conducted
to understand the role of multiple stakeholders in the plan being formulated.
A decision-making consultation workshop was held in February 2021 to discuss thefindings of the analysis and development of the sustainable plastic management
plan (see appendix C). The comments, suggestions, and feedback received from theworkshop were used to improve the action plan.

Development of an Action Plan for Sustainable Plastic
Management
Findings from the baseline study, stakeholder consultation, and policy review wereused to prepare a multisectoral strategic road map consisting of a vision and targets.
Each target was defined based on actions over short-, medium-, and long-term timeframes. These actions were further supported with interventions and improvement inpolicy, regulatory, and economic instruments and on technology and infrastructure
available for waste management and by building stakeholder capacity.

19

CHAPTER 2: RESULTS OF THE
BASELINE STUDYT

he primary objective of this baseline study is to provide an information baseagainst which to monitor and assess the effectiveness of the activities andprogress of targets of the action plan during implementation. Using robust
field sampling and stakeholder analysis, the baseline documented the current waste
management system, including hotspots for marine plastic debris, waste composition,and material flow of waste plastics.

2.1 WASTE COMPOSITION CHARACTERISTICS
Waste Composition Analysis at the Household Level andLandfills in the DNCC
Composition of household waste according to income and in landfills in the DNCC
is shown in figure 2.1. Low-income areas had the highest percentage by weight oforganic matter in household waste (88.9 percent), followed by middle- (79.9 percent)and high-income areas (68.3 percent), whereas high-income areas had the highest
percentage by weight of plastic (16.4 percent), followed by middle- (12.8 percent) and
low-income areas (5.8 percent). High-income areas generated the most paper waste(5.5 percent) and low-income areas the least (2.3 percent). Organic matter accounted
for 79.7 percent of waste in the Amin Bazar landfill site, and plastic waste accounted
for 5.1 percent.
FIGURE 2.1: Household and landfill waste composition in the DNCC, 2020
79.9
88.9
79.7

100

68.3

80
70
60
50

Paper

Glass

Type of Waste
High-income

Middle-income

Source: Field Survey, Waste Concern Consultants, 2020

20

Food andvegetable

1.3
2.0
1.9
6.5

Plastic

2.1
0.2
0.3
3.3

0

3.3
0.1
0.1
1.3

10

2.6
1.0
0.6
1.2

20

5.6
3.9
2.3
2.5

30

12.8
5.8
5.2

40
16.4

Percentage by weight

90

Rags

Others

Coconut

Lower-income

LandfillA M U LT I S E C T O R A L A C T I O N P L A N F O R B A N G L A D E S H

Summary of findings from baseline study
Baseline on plastic use• Rapid urbanization and development have increased the consumption of plastic.
• In 2020, daily per capita waste generation in both Dhaka North and South city corporations was
0.61 kilograms (kg), with a population of 10,596,475 in the Dhaka metropolitan area, the estimatedwaste generated per day is 6,464 tons. Analysis of waste composition shows that 10% of this waste
is plastic waste.
• Consumption of LDPE packaging materials increased fivefold in 2020 compared to 2005. At thehousehold level, 40.6 percent of LDPE in waste comes from single-use thin shopping bags and 7.0
percent from MLP. The COVID-19 pandemic has increased the consumption of packaging andshopping bags made of LDPE. In addition, a lot of LDPE, mainly SUP and MLP (e.g., potato chips
bags, polythene bags, packaging materials) was found in tourist spots.
• LDPE and PP polymers account for most plastic consumed.
Baseline on plastic waste• Only 30 percent of postconsumer packaging waste is collected.
• Ten percent of municipal waste consists of plastic (646 tons collected per day), of which 48 percent
goes to landfills, 37 percent is recycled, 12 percent ends up in khals and rivers, and 3 percent isdumped in drains and unserved areas of the city corporations. Secondary transfer stations cover
only a few waste collection points, which limits the recovery of plastic from municipal waste before
it is sent to landfills.
• An estimated 24,032–36,047 tons of plastic waste are disposed of per year in 1,212 hot spots aroundkhals and rivers, all of which are connected to the river system.
• Most plastic waste in landfills consists of single-use thin shopping bags, packs, and wrappers and
MLP for all kinds of food and nonfood wraps and packaging materials.
Baseline on plastic recycling• PET and PS are attractive for the recycling industry and have the highest recycling rate, predominantly
because they can be collected in bulk and offer a high price; a very small quantity of PET and PS
waste was found at the landfills.
• LDPE is less attractive for recycling because it is lightweight, thick, and easily soiled.
• The recycling industry does not have the capacity to recycle MLP. Packs and wrappers are unattractive
to recyclers because they are small, laminated, and printed with ink.
• Informal workers collect and recycle clean, semisoiled, and soiled plastics for the production ofpellets.
• PET is recycled in 300 facilities in Dhaka. The number of such units was increasing rapidly because
exporters can sell PET pellets on the international market at a price of BDT 80–120/ kg, higher thanthe value in the domestic market, but recent reductions in oil prices have made PET recycling lessattractive.
• The textile industry in Bangladesh can create huge market demand for recycled PET and play animportant role in bringing circularity in the plastic life cycle.
• Granules generated from PP, HDPE, LDPE, and PS waste are used to manufacture such items asfurniture, hangers, nonfood items, pellets, crates, and boxes.

21

PLASTIC MANAGEMENT

Waste Composition Analysis at the Household Level andLandfills in the DSCC
Composition of household waste according to income and in landfills in the DSCC
is shown in figure 2.2. Low-income areas had the highest percentage by weight oforganic matter in household waste (90.1 percent), followed by middle- (80.2 percent)and high-income areas (74.6 percent), whereas high-income areas had the highest
percentage by weight of plastic waste (14.6 percent), followed by middle- (11.9
percent) and low-income areas (5.5 percent).
Figure 2.2 shows that middle-income areas generated the most paper waste (4.4
percent), with high- and low- income areas generating less (3.2 percent). Organic
matter accounted for 84.9 percent of waste at the Matuail landfill site, and plastic
waste accounted for 7.9 percent. The waste composition analysis revealed that LDPE
was the most widely used and disposed of plastic waste by all income groups and thatlower-income households generated less packaging and plastic waste than higherincome households.
Some of the key inferences from the waste composition analysis are described below:• Analysis showed that LDPE was the most widely used and discarded plastic waste
in the DSCC and DNCC across different income groups.
• Households with lower income generate less packaging materials and plastic wastecompared to high-income households

100
74.6
80.2

90

70

High-income

Middle-income

Lower-income

Landfill

50
40

Source: Field Survey, Waste Concern Consultants, 2020

Food andvegetable

0.0
0.0
0.0
0.0

Glass

4.1
1.7
0.3
4.8

Paper

1.0
0.6
0.1
1.2

Plastic

1.9
0.8
0.6
0.4

0

3.4
4.4
3.2
0.7

10

5.5
7.9

30
20

22

Type of Waste

60

14.6
12.0

Percentage by weight

80

90.1
84.9

FIGURE 2.2: Composition of landfill waste in the DSCC, 2020

Rags

Others

CoconutPLASTIC MANAGEMENTFIGURE 2.4: Household and landfill plastic waste composition in the DNCC and DSCC
350

323

Type of Plastic Waste

300

At source

Landfill

Amount (tons/day)

250
200

174.42

150
96.9

96.9

100
64.6
50
0

61.13
37.87

34.35

32.3

32.3
1.97

0.98
Low-density
polyethylene

High-density
polyethylene

Polyethylene
terephthalate

Polyvinyl chloride

Polystyrene

Polypropylene

Source: Field Survey, Waste Concern Consultants, 2020

Household Plastic Waste Composition
Households generated almost nine times as much LDPE (mainly used for MLP and
SUP) in 2020 (323 tons per day) as they had in 2005 (16.8 tons per day) (figure 2.5). The
amount of PET generated was 20.4 tons per day, which increased by fivefold in 2020.
Analysis from the field survey also revealed that LDPE packaging materials accounted
for 10 percent of plastic waste in 2005 but increased to 50 percent by 2020. COVID-19
is a possible cause of the increase in LDPE use. The proportion of PP increased from 27
percent in 2005 to 15 percent in 2020. The amount of HDPE increased in 2020 becauseof the increase in the use of consumer products (bottles, tubes, boxes for food andnonfood items, toys) that required HDPE bottles for packaging.
FIGURE 2.5: Composition of household plastic waste, 2005 and 2020
350

323

Type of Plastic Waste

Generation (tons/day)

300

2005

250
200
150
96.9

100
50
0

96.9

64.6
16.8
LDPE

34.9
HDPE

20.4
PET

20.6

32.3

14.69

PVC

Source: Enayetullah et al, 2005 and Field Survey, Waste Concern Consultants, 2020

24

2020

32.3

PS

47.6
18.5
PP

0

OthersPHOTO CREDIT: WASTE CONCERNA M U LT I S E C T O R A L A C T I O N P L A N F O R B A N G L A D E S H

Landfill Plastic Waste Composition
Figure 2.6 shows the composition of plastic waste in two landfills (Amin Bazar in
the DNCC and Matuail in the DSCC) in 2005 and 2020. The landfills (Amin Bazar andMatuail) were surveyed before the onset of and during the COVID-19 pandemic in
2020. The average percentage of LDPE increased from 8 percent in 2005 to 56 percent
in 2020. The quantity of PVC fell from 8 percent in 2005 to 1 percent in 2020.
People have recycled less waste during the COVID-19 pandemic, with many appearing
to throw most of their plastic waste in the trash. City corporations did not permit
waste to be sorted for recycling inside the secondary transfer station, loading it
directly onto trucks for disposal in landfills. A major reason for the increased amountof LDPE reaching landfills was the increased use of packaging materials made of LDPE.
A decrease in the quantity of PVC in landfills could be attributed to its higher demand
for recycling.
FIGURE 2.6: Waste composition in landfills, 2005 and 2020
200
180

174.4

Type of Plastic Waste
2005
2020

Generation (tons/day)

160
140
120
100
80

61.1

60
37.9
24.3

40
20
0

7
LDPE

HDPE

34.4

32.9

7.4

7.3

PET

PVC

1

0.6 2
PS

8

PP

0
Others

Source: Enayetullah et al, 2005 and Field Survey, Waste Concern Consultants, 2020

25

PLASTIC MANAGEMENTHousehold Plastic Waste according to Category
More than 18 groups of items were identified under the six categories of plastic resin.
Single-use thin shopping bags (40.6 percent) were the source of most LDPE (table2.1). MLP waste (7.0 percent) was also identified as a problem; it ends up in landfills
because of the difficulty in recycling the multiple layers of materials. The majority ofitems containing HDPE were consumer products such as medicine and soap bottles
and tubes (e.g., toothpaste). Water bottles were the most common source of PET.
TABLE 2.1: Composition of plastic waste items in DNCC and DSCC households, according to categoryof plastic
Examples according to category

Plastic waste
generation(tonnes/day)

Percentage of
total plastic
waste

323.0

50

Low-density polyethylene

Percentage ofplastic items in
total plastic waste

Single-use thin shopping bags

261.6

81.0

40.6

Multilayer plastic packaging waste: food and nonfood
wraps and packaging materials (e.g., mini packs)

45.2

14.0

7.0

Thicker bags and wrappers

16.1

5.0

2.5

High-density polyethylene

64.6

Medicine and soap bottles, tubes (e.g., toothpaste)

27.8

43.0

4.3

Ice cream tubs, milk bottles, boxes for food and nonfood items 19.4

30.0

3.0

Toys

17.4

27.0

2.7

Polyethylene terephthalate

96.9

Water bottles

65.9

68.0

10.2

Soft drink bottles

20.3

21.0

3.2

Medicine bottles

10.7

11.0

1.6

Polyvinyl chloride

32.3

Water pipes, electrical conduits

24.9

77.0

39.0

Toys

4.5

14.0

0.7

Shampoo bottles

2.9

9.0

0.4

Polystyrene

32.3

Food takeaway containers, plastic cutlery, egg cartons

25.3

78.4

3.9

Single-use plates and cups

6.96

21.5

1.1

Polypropylene

96.9

Water and paint buckets

49.01

50.6

7.6

Boxes, bottle caps, ice cream tubs

25.1

25.9

3.9

Packing covers

13.61

14.0

2.1

Flour, pulse, grain, rice packs (not recycling)

9.4

9.6

1.4

Total

646

Source: Field survey, Waste Concern Consultants 2020.

26

Percentage ofplastic items in
category

10

15

5

5

15

100

100

PLASTIC MANAGEMENT

Figure 2.7 shows the category-wise ranking of plastic waste at the landfill level.
Single-use thin shopping bags (in the LDPE category) are ranked first. Flour, pulse,
grain, and rice packs and wrappers (in the PP category) are ranked second because
their smaller size, lamination, and surface ink make them unattractive for therecycling market. MLP waste, all kinds of food and nonfood wraps, and packaging
materials such as mini packs (in the LDPE category) are ranked third.
FIGURE 2.7: Ranking of household plastic waste in the DNCC and DSCC according to category
LDPE: Single-use thin shopping bags

31.42

PP: Flour, pulse, grain, rice packs (not recycling)

19

LDPE: Multilayer plastic packaging waste: all kinds of food and nonfood wraps and packaging materials (i.e. mini packs)

18
7

LDPE: Comparatively thicker packaging bags and wrappers
PET: Water bottles

6.55

HDPE: Ice cream tubs, milk bottles, box for food and non food items.

6.10

PET: Soft drink bottles

3.55

HDPE: Toys

3.05

HDPE: Medicine and soap bottles, tubes (toothpaste)

3.05
1

PET: Medicine bottles
PS: Single-use plates and cups

0.33

PS: Food takeaway containers, plastic cutlery, egg tray

0.33

PVC: Plastic water, electric pipes

0.32

PP: Water buckets, paint buckets

0.20

PP: Packing cover

0.10

PP: Boxes, bottle caps, ice cream tubs

0

PVC: Toys and others

0

PVC: Shampoo bottles

0
0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

Percentage of different types of plastics generated fromhouseholdNote: HDPE = high-density polyethylene; LDPE = low-density polyethylene; PET = polyethylene terephthalate; PP = polypropylene; PS =polystyrene; PVC = polyvinyl chloride.
Source: Field Survey, Waste Concern Consultants, 2020 All data is 2020

28

Bangladesh. Of the total 1,409,094 tons of imported plastic resin annually, 69 percent

Total imported plastic resin: 1,409,000(in the f iscal year 2018-19)

A M U LT I S E C T O R A L A C T I O N P L A N F O R B A N G L A D E S HMaterial Flow Analysis for Plastic Waste in Dhaka
Of the 6,464 tons per day of municipal waste generated, an estimated 73 percent
reached landfills, 8 percent was recycled, 5 percent made its way into khals and rivers,
and 14 percent reached drains and unserved areas of the city corporations. Of the6,464 tons per day of waste collected, 10 percent was plastic (646 tons per day), of
which 48 percent reached landfills, 37 percent was recycled, 12 percent made its way
into khals and rivers, and 3 percent reached drains and unserved areas of the city
corporations (figure 2.10).
FIGURE 2.10: Material flow analysis for plastic waste in the DNCC and DSCC 2020
Landfill: 310.7

Plastic Waste: 646
Recycled: 240.5

Khals and Rivers: 77.5

Note: All values in the figure are in tons per day.

Drains and unserved areas: 17.3

Source: Field Survey, Waste Concern Consultants, 2020

2.3 HOT SPOT ASSESSMENT FOR MARINE PLASTIC DEBRIS
To identify leakage points, hot spots for marine plastic debris were assessed for
Dhaka, Chattogram, and Cox’s Bazar. For Chattogram and Cox’s Bazar, a rapid survey
was conducted at selected locations; for Dhaka, the study was conducted in a moredetailed manner. The survey consisted of various campaigns before and during the
COVID-19 pandemic. However, due to multiple constraints, the surveys could not map
the entire period of the year to capture the seasonality. This limitation may be notedin the interpretation of the survey data.
A hot spot is where plastics leak into the environment (including land, air, water,and marine environment). Actions to address hot spots were considered in terms ofinterventions and instruments. In addition, locations along the waste management
value chain where local government bodies do not collect waste were identified, andlocations where waste accumulates regularly and is not collected or transported toa landfill for proper disposal were mapped. The majority of this waste washes away
during the monsoon season and ends up in the rivers and seas.
The study area comprised the DNCC and DSCC and hot spot near four rivers in Dhaka:
Turag, Buriganga, Balu, and Shitalakshya. Some of the hot spots on the riverbanks
31

PLASTIC MANAGEMENT

are situated in the greater Dhaka area, outside DNCC and DSCC, and hot spots on thefour rivers in Dhaka: Turag, Buriganga, Balu, and Shitalakshya. In Chattogram, areas
near Chaktai Khal and some of the hot spot on the rivers are situated in the greater
Dhaka area, outside of DNCC and DSCC. Karnaphuli River, Laboni Beach in Cox’s Bazar,
Shugondha Beach, Inani Beach, and the landfill at Kostorighat, close to the sea, wereconsidered. A rapid assessment was conducted in the aforementioned sites (appendix
B). The hot spot assessment in Dhaka is summarized in figure 2.11.
FIGURE 2.11: Hot spots in Dhaka
Waste collection points (Formal)
Within Dhaka
655

DSCC
Formal points
426

DNCC
Formal points
229

Open points
226

Open points
152

Hot spots: with no collection along
the banks of khals
1083

Waste collection point

DSCC

DNCC

STS = Secondary Transfer
Station23

52

Open truck

212

129

Dump truck

5

5Compactor

918

Container carrier

177

25

Total

426

229

Particulars (for khals + 4 rivers)

Illegal hot spots

Total hot spots along the banks

1212 nos.

Waste already accumulated
DSCC
270

DNCC
730

DSCC & DNCC
82

Hot spots
With no collection along the banks of 4
Major Rivers of Dhaka
129

Buriganga
43

Shitalakshya
43

Balu
7

Turag
36

Total Accumulated Waste: 33,612 tons out of which 30% (10,083.6) tons directly
discharged into the water.
Waste Generation: 216.60 tons/day

Particulars
Hot spots
Accumulated
Waste (tons)
Daily
Generation(tons/day)

Buriganga

Balu

Shitalkshya

Turag

43

7

43

36

129

11564.9

2012.0343183.38

15771.46

72531.77

9.18

0.93

45.38

57.08

112.57

Total Accumulated Waste: 72,531.8 tons
Waste Generation: 112.6 tons/day

Source: Field survey, Waste Concern Consultants 2020.
Note: DNCC = Dhaka North City Corporation; DSCC = Dhaka South City Corporation.

32

106,143.99 tons

Total

A M U LT I S E C T O R A L A C T I O N P L A N F O R B A N G L A D E S H

Hot spots in Dhaka
There are 426 designated waste collection points in the DSCC area and 229 in the
DNCC area. Waste collected through the primary collection system is brought todesignated collection points for transportation to landfills. Only 6 percent of the waste
collection points in the DSCC area are covered by secondary transfer stations, whereas
23 percent of the waste collection points in the DNCC area are covered by secondarytransfer stations. Waste is not segregated before reaching the landfills. There are six
designated waste collection points per ward in the DSCC and four per ward in the
DNCC. Fifty-three percent of collection points in the DSCC area and 66 percent in the
DNCC area are uncovered.
In 2020, the estimated population was 4,490,811 for the DSCC area and 6,105,664 forthe DNCC area. In the DSCC area, 0.948 waste collection points per 10,000 population
are covered, whereas 0.375 per 10,000 population are covered in the DNCC area.
In addition to 655 designated waste collection points in Dhaka, the study identified
1,083 hot spots near the 39 khals of Dhaka where waste was not collected, 30 of which
are in the DNCC, seven are in the DSCC, and two are in the DSCC and DNCC. Basedon the field survey, 33,612 tons of waste accumulated at these collection points; anestimated 216.60 tons of waste is illegally disposed of at these locations per day.
The DNCC and the Narayanganj City Corporation (NCC) have obtained approval
from the Cabinet Committee on Public Purchase to establish a 42.5-megawatt (MW)waste-to-energy plant in the DNCC and a 5 MW waste-to-energy plant in the NCC.
Both projects are expected to be operational in 24–36 months. According to theagreement, the DNCC will provide 3,000 tons of solid waste per day to its plant, andthe NCC will provide 500 tons to its plant. It is expected that the DNCC will increase its
waste collection efficiency to meet the target supply, which will reduce the amount ofwaste being dumped in the hot spots.
Incoming waste could be sorted in secondary transfer stations. Covered collection
points are larger and serve larger populations than open waste collection points,
where trucks collect waste from open bins or demountable containers. Sorting atavailable waste collection points is difficult because of space constraints, and they aresources of leakage during the monsoon period. According to best practice guidelines,
there should be at least one container or covered collection point per 5,000 to 10,000
population. The number of covered collection points in Dhaka, especially the DSCC,
does not meet these best practice guidelines.

Hot spots around the Four Rivers of Dhaka
Based on the field survey, an estimated 72,532 tons of waste accumulated at 129 points
around the four rivers of Dhaka, and an estimated 112.6 tons of waste is disposed of at

33

PLASTIC MANAGEMENT

these hot spots per day. Detailed maps with global positioning system locations wereidentified (appendix B).
Based on the field survey, it was estimated that 216.6 tons of solid waste were disposedof per day in 1,083 hot spots near the khals of Dhaka (79,059 tons per year), all of which
are connected to the four major rivers around Dhaka. The study also established that
there are 129 hot spots where 112.6 tons of waste was disposed of every day aroundthe four major rivers (41,099 tons per year). Combining the quantity of waste disposedof around the hot spots of the khals and rivers, it was estimated that 120,158 tons ofwaste is disposed of per year at the 1,212 hot spots (appendix B).
The study also found that the percentage of plastic in the solid waste at hot spots
varies from 20 percent to 30 percent, so the cumulative amount of plastic in the hot
spots varies from 24,032 tons to 36,047 tons per year. Because all of the hot spots areconnected to the river system, there is strong potential for this plastic waste to end up
in rivers (appendix B).

Hot spots in Chattogram City
The study area in Chattogram comprises Chaktai Khal and the Karnaphuli River. The
study examined 97 locations by Chaktai Khal and two locations on the Karnaphuli
River where waste was dumped. Based on the field survey, an estimated 1,428.8
tons of waste had accumulated at these points. A large amount of LDPE, mainly
SUP and MLP (e.g., potato chip bags, polyethylene bags, packaging materials), wasfound in locations that attract tourists. Details about the hot spots, along with global
positioning system coordinates and site details, are shown in appendix B.
The most plastic was found in Patenga Beach (40.5 percent), with 20.7 percent foundin Chaktai Khal hot spots and 12.5 percent in Karrabul River hot spots (figure 2.12).
A high amount of LDPE category plastics mainly SUP and MLP (potato chip packets,
polythene bags, packaging materials, etc.) were found in locations that attract a lot of
tourists.
FIGURE 2.12: Composition of solid waste in Chattogram
Karnaphuli River (% by wt)
Coconut Shells 2%
Rags/Textile 5%
Plastics 12%

Food and
Vegetables 39%

34

Paper 2%
Diapers, Metal, Foam 0%
Diapers, Metal, Foam 0%

A M U LT I S E C T O R A L A C T I O N P L A N F O R B A N G L A D E S H

Chaktai Khal (% by wt)
Diapers 1%

Metal, Foam, Sand/Soil 0%

Rags/Textile 6%
Paper 10%
Coconut Shells 12%

Food and Vegetables 50%

Plastics 21%

Patenga Beach (% by wt)
Rags/Textile 2%

Food and Vegetables,
Sand/Soil, Diapers 0%

Foam 5%Paper 10%

Plastics 40%

Metal 14%

Coconut Shells 29%
Source: Field survey, Waste Concern Consultants 2020

Hot Spots in Cox’s Bazar
The study area in Cox’s Bazar included Laboni Beach, Shugondha Beach, Inani Beach,and the landfill at Kostorighat, which is close to the sea. The landfill site is flooded
during high tide because there is no embankment around it. Details of the hot spots,
along with global positioning system coordinates and site details, are shown inappendix B of this report.
Physical analysis of the incoming waste delivered by truck to the landfill at KostoriPara, Cox’s Bazar, showed that 16 percent is organic, which is compostable; 38 percent
is reusable (e.g., coconut shells); and 17 percent is recyclable plastics. These arerepresented in figures 2.13.
FIGURE 2.13: Composition of waste disposed of at Kostori Para landfill, Cox’s Bazar
Discarded
Materials 7%

Reusable38%
Other
Recyclables
22%

Polyethylene
Terephthalate(PET) 3%Compostable
16%
Recyclable
Plastics 17%

Low-Density
Polyethylene
50%

Polypropylene(PP) 3%Polystyrene(Styrofoam) 2%
Polyvinyl Chloride(PVC) 14%
Low-Density
Polyethylene(with Printing Ink)
28%

Source: Field survey, Waste Concern Consultants 2020

35

PLASTIC MANAGEMENTFIGURE 2.14: Composition of waste disposed at Laboni Beach, Cox’s Bazar
Polystyrene(Styrofoam)
6%

Discarded
Materials 5%
Recyclable
Plastics 37%

Compostable
18%
Other
Recyclables
20%

Low-Density
Polyethylene
52%

Polyethylene
Terephthalate(PET) 8%Polypropylene(PP) 7%
Polyvinyl
Chloride (PVC)
3%
Low-Density
Polyethylene (withPrinting Ink) 24%

Reusable 20%

Source: Field survey, Waste Concern Consultants 2020

Compostable 0%

Discarded
Materials 6%

Reusable 42%

Other
Recyclables
11%

Recyclable
Plastics 41%

Polystyrene(Styrofoam) 2%

Polyethylene
Terephthalate(PET) 9%Low-Density
Polyethylene70%

Low Density
Polyethylene(with PrintingInk) 19%

Source: Field survey, Waste Concern Consultants 2020

The waste analyzed at Laboni Beach, Cox’s Bazar, came from the beach only, so its
composition differs from the typical composition of household waste. Only 18 percentof the waste is compostable, and about 37 percent is recyclable plastics, which arecollected and burned (figure 2.14); there is no recycling activity near the beach. Local
businesses provide bins for disposal of waste and hire local workers to collect thewaste regularly. These are represented in figure 2.14.
The waste analyzed from Inani Beach, Cox’s Bazar, was from the beach, so its composition differs from the typical composition of household waste. Local businesses provide
bins for disposal of waste and engage workers to collect the waste regularly. Forty-two
percent of the waste was found to be reusable (coconut shells), and 41 percent wererecyclable plastics. These are represented in figure 2.14.

2.4 STAKEHOLDER ANALYSIS OF THE DHAKA METROPOLITAN
AREA
A stakeholder analysis was conducted to identify key stakeholders or actors andunderstand their socioeconomic status. Actors involved in the recycling network of
Dhaka were divided into four categories:

36

A M U LT I S E C T O R A L A C T I O N P L A N F O R B A N G L A D E S H

FIGURE 2.15: Supply chain of plastic materials and products

SourceCollectors

Households, wastebins, containers,
dump sites

Tokais, waste
collectors(feriwallas,vans andrickshaws waste
collectors), Dhaka
Corporation (DCC)
crews

BuyersManufacturers

Vangari dokans,wholesalers,
brokers

Pellet and granulemanufacturers
and recyclers,
informal small
industries that
produce plastic
products, formal
plastic productmanufacturers

Figure 2.15 illustrates the supply chain of plastic materials and products (upstream)and stakeholders engaged in waste recycling and recovery (downstream). Special
attention was paid to small and medium enterprises and vulnerable informal actors.
Twenty participants from each stakeholder group were interviewed, and a household
sample survey based on income levels was conducted.
Manufacturers produce plastic goods and plastic packaging materials using imported
virgin and recycled resins as raw materials. Some importers import plastic goods.
Brand owners use packaging materials that manufacturers supply in their productionof branded consumer products. Brand owners also produce several types of plastic
products and commodities for consumption. Shops and markets sell these products.
Consumers and households purchase goods from shops and markets and produce
postconsumer plastic waste. After this, the role of actors responsible for collecting,recycling, and recovering plastic wastes begins.
Waste collectors (vans and rickshaws) were responsible for collection from households
and other sources, bringing the collected waste to nearby secondary transfer stations
and waste collection points within the DNCC and DSCC areas. Some people dump
their waste in illegal spots within the city and on riverbanks. Rickshaw and vanwaste collectors mainly collect soiled plastic waste. Another group of stakeholders(wholesalers, brokers, itinerant buyers) buys unsoiled waste from households. Vangari
dokans are mainly neighbourhood based and buy recyclable (soiled and unsoiled)plastic waste from all stakeholders and sell it to wholesalers and brokers that buy waste
on a large scale, directing a large volume of plastic waste to the recycling companies
that clean and process it into products and secondary raw materials (recycled plastic
waste or flake from PET).

37

PLASTIC MANAGEMENTFIGURE 2.16: Plastic recycling value chain in Bangladesh and plastic recycling system in Dhaka
Bangladesh annually imports around
1,409,094 TPY of virgin resin
Bangladesh annually exports
around 442,022.5 TPY of
garments and accessories
Imported virgin resin

Stage 1: Source

Raw Materials

Manufacturersof Plasstic Packaging Materials and products

Garments, Accessories(Exported; bonded)

Brand Owner
Users of packaging materials
Consumer goods

Importers
Brands from outside
Consumer goods

Shops/Markets
Consumers/Households

SoiledPlastic

SoiledPlastic

Collectors(Vans and Rickshaws)

Illegal Dumping Spot

Spots along the river
Transfer Stations

Stage 2:
Collection Actors

Collection Crew

Waste Pickers

Semisoiled Plastic
38,598.75 TPY*

Feriwallas

Soiled Plastic
10,220 TPY*

Vangari Dokan
Direct Purchase
29,930 TPY*

85,632.6 TPY*

Unsoiled Plastic
9,033.8 TPY*

Wholesaler/broker

Stage 3:
Manufacturer

85,632.6 TPY*

Recycled goods,
pellets/granules/flakes

Recycling industry (formal
and informal)

The recycling industry in urban
areas annually recycles around
300,000 TPY of plastic waste
to recycled goods and pellets/
granules/flakes

Note: DCC = Dhaka City Corporation; TPY = tons per year.
Source: Field survey, Waste Concern Consultants 2020.

38

Stakeholders
Sources*The data in the diagram is forthe city of Dhaka

A M U LT I S E C T O R A L A C T I O N P L A N F O R B A N G L A D E S H

The study highlights the importance of the informal sector in the collection andrecycling of plastic waste. All buyers and manufacturers of plastic waste–based pellets
or granules are in the informal sector. However, both formal and informal manufacturers use these pellets and granules as raw materials to manufacture products becauseof their availability. Based on the field survey, organic waste forms almost 78 percent
of total waste and has no significant value for actors involved in the recycling value
chain.
During the plastic waste recycling process, different types of plastic materials are
discarded (disposed), sold, collected, recycled, and manufactured through the
hierarchical system of sources, collectors, buyers, and manufacturers (figure 2.19).
Informal sector actors play a key role in the labour-intensive recovery and recycling
practice. Plastic waste is collected from different points and sent to pellet, granule,and plastic product manufacturers in other parts of Bangladesh. The process involves
three stages (figure 2.19):
1. In stage 1, brand owners, manufacturers, and importers import and domesticallypurchase plastic resins and granules (virgin materials and recycled). In the postconsumer stage, the plastic reaches waste bins, drains, and roadside ditches. The
unsoiled economically valuable plastic is generally separated by consumers andsold to feriwallas.
2. In stage 2, in the house-to-house waste collection system in Dhaka, van collectors
pick up soiled plastic waste and dispose of it in waste bins or at secondary collection
points. From there, DCC crews transport soiled plastic to designated dump sites.
The tokais collect soiled plastic that has some value from waste bins, secondary
collection points, and dump sites. The informal waste pickers sell the plastic tovangari dokans (wholesale shops).
3. In stage 3, vangari dokans and wholesalers sort and clean (washing, drying) theplastic and sell it to small and large recyclers (formal and informal sectors). The
recyclers convert plastic into pellets and granules of different quality grades. The
pellets and granules are then used to make new plastic goods by manufacturers ofplastic products and sold to consumers.
This cycle of plastic circulating between manufacturers, consumers, waste collectors,
and recyclers continues until the plastic is no longer recyclable and, hence, has nomarket value for the waste pickers and recyclers.
Figure 2.19 shows that imported virgin plastic resin is an important raw material forthe manufacturers of plastic products and packaging materials,. The imported resin isused to manufacture plastic goods and packaging material for the local market and apart of it is exported after certain value addition, mainly by export-oriented garments
and textile-based accessories manufacturers.
Three types of waste are processed in the informal recycling system: clean, semisoiled,and soiled (figure 2.19). If the waste is mixed with organic and other waste, it is soiled.
If semisoiled waste can be separated from other waste and cleaned and dried, it
39PLASTIC MANAGEMENT

becomes clean. Clean PP, HDPE, and LDPE waste and PS-related waste are used as raw
material for production of pellets and granules and to manufacture such things asfurniture, hangers, nonfood items, crates, and boxes.
Tokais, rickshaw and van waste collectors, and DCC crews collect semisoiled andsoiled plastic waste. Feriwallas mainly collect unsoiled plastic waste. Vangari dokans
purchase clean, semisoiled, and soiled plastic waste. There are some 1,100 feriwallas
working in Dhaka who buy 24.75 tons per day of clean waste from households. There
are around 1,800 DCC crews.
Tokais. In the inorganic waste recycling value chain, tokais are important in the
primary collection of recyclable materials. They are socioeconomically the mostvulnerable group, with a lower standard of living than other recycling actors. They are
the youngest and have low literacy rates and earnings. They do not take any protective
measures when collecting waste from bins and dump sites. They operate in almost
every neighbourhood of the city, coming from nearby slums or squatter settlements,
moving through the community, carrying sacks on their backs and going throughheaps of raw and mixed waste in community wastebins and at secondary transfer
stations and dump sites with their bare hands or sometimes a stick. There are 200
tokais at the dump sites in Dhaka. They take anything with any value in the recycling
market and sell it to feriwallas or vangari dokans in small quantities. Almost none ofthem have any kind of registration. Their income varies from BDT 2,000 to BDT 5,000
per month, with the majority earning only BDT 2000–3000 per month.
DCC crews, rickshaw, and van collectors. Van collectors have emerged as new actors
in the inorganic waste collection process since house-to-house waste collection
began in almost all the wards of the DNCC and DSCC area. They collect partially soiled
recyclables and sell them to local vangari dokans without cleaning them. They are notregistered, and almost all of them lack any insurance for work-related health problems.
Their income varies from BDT 5,000 to BDT 8,000 per month, with the majority earning
BDT 6,000 per month. Approximately 5,800 rickshaw and van collectors in both city
corporations collect 105.75 tons per day of semisoiled waste from houses. DCC crews
and waste pickers in dump sites recover plastic and sell it to junk shops.
Vangari dokans. There are 1,070 vangari dokans in Dhaka that receive 28 tons of soiled
plastic waste every day. Vangari dokans purchase 157.75 tons per day of plastic wastefrom feriwallas, rickshaw and van collectors, DCC crews, tokais, and another 82.75 tons
per day of waste from other sources, and sell it to wholesalers, who resell it to local
manufacturers. There are 737 wholesalers in Dhaka.
Manufacturers (informal). More than 15 percent of plastic waste collected is PET.
Of the 110,000 tons of PET waste generated every year, 37,550 tons are recycled. In
Dhaka, 16,000 tons per day of PET is recycled—approximately 40 percent of PET waste
generated. According to interviews conducted with local recyclers, approximately
4 billion PET bottles are thrown away. There are almost 300 plastic recycling or
40

A M U LT I S E C T O R A L A C T I O N P L A N F O R B A N G L A D E S H

manufacturing facilities in Dhaka producing plastic pellets, granules, flakes, and otherplastic products and employing almost 5,400 people. The number of these informal
recycling units is increasing rapidly.
Currently, the Bangladesh PET Flakes Manufacturers & Exporters Association has 82
members, approximately 10 percent of whom have the capability of hot washing intheir facilities; the remaining 90 percent have only cold washing facilities, which areless expensive. Large PET flake exporters purchase plastic flakes from small processing
units all over the country and export them to other countries after sorting andprocessing. Most of the small factories are located along the Buriganga River, using
the river water for cleaning. The various actors involved in the plastic collection are
described in table 2.3.

2.5 DOWNSTREAM PLASTIC WASTE VALUE CHAIN
Table 2.4 illustrates the per-kilogram value of different types of plastic waste that actors
along the plastic value chain collect. Depending on the quality, type, and condition of
the waste, the price varies. Table 2.4 also shows how the price of plastic differs along
the value chain. PET commands a higher price because there is a ready export market,
and LDPE (including linear low-density polyethylene, which are lightweight, thin,
flexible items) has the lowest price (BDT 2–3/ kg) at the waste picker level because itis neither attractive nor feasible for them to collect. LDPE and PP dominated plastic
TABLE 2.3: Collection of plastic waste by different actors

Feriwallas

Rickshaw and
Van Collectors

Waste
pickers

DCC Crews

Vangariwalas

Total Number

1,100

5,800

200

1,800

1,070

Tons of plastic collected per day

24.75

104.40

1.50

26.50

234.61

Vangaridokan

Wholesale

Source: Field survey, Waste Concern Consultants 2020.

TABLE 2.4: Per-kilogram value (in BDT) of plastic waste in Dhaka
Type of plastic
TokaisVan driver DCC crew
Feriwallas
Polyethylene terephthalate

12–15

12–15

13–14

18–20

24–25

35–55

High-density polyethylene

10–12

12–14

12–15

18–22

24–25

35–40

Polyvinyl chloride

14–15

12–13

12–13

20–22

25–26

30–35

Polypropylene

15–17

15–16

14–15

20–22

27–28

35–40

Polystyrene

15–16

16–17

15–16

18–20

22–23

30–35

High gross

n.a.

n.a.

n.a.

n.a.

12–14

40–45

Unsoiled

n.a.

2–3

n.a.

n.a.

6–7

12–14

Low-density polyethylene

Source: Field survey, Waste Concern Consultants, 2020.

41

PLASTIC MANAGEMENT

consumption, but collection of these two polymers is lower than collection of PS, PVC,
or PET. PS products have the highest recycling rate, predominantly because they canbe collected in bulk. Exporters sell PET on the international market at a price of BDT
80-120/kg, much higher than other plastics (see table 2.4). The market value of eachkind of plastic increases as it moves from tokais to wholesalers due to progressive
sorting, cleaning, and aggregation with every stage.
PET recyclers export different types of products, such as PET straps, PET palettes, andshredded PET, to India, China, Thailand, Vietnam, Austria, Ukraine, Philippines, Taiwan,
and some European countries. The falling price of oil has lowered the price of virgin
PET flakes, making PET recycling less lucrative in Bangladesh. The global shift in the
textile industry—from agro-based to recycled-plastic-based yarns—provides a unique
opportunity for Bangladesh to transition to recycled PET-based textile manufacturing.
Creating a market for recycled PET will help the plastic waste economy contribute tosectors such as textiles, which play an important role in Bangladesh’s economy.

2.6 EMPLOYMENT GENERATED BY PLASTIC WASTE RECYCLING
IN DHAKAIn the Dhaka metropolitan area, 9,970 people collect plastic waste for the recycling
sector. Plastic recycling and manufacturing companies in Dhaka employ almost 5,400
workers. According to the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics, total employment in the
DCC was 5.26 million, indicating that 0.3 percent of the employed labor force wasworking in the plastic waste recycling sector (Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics 2018).

42

CHAPTER 3: REGULATORY ANALYSISFOR PLASTIC
MANAGEMENT

B

angladesh is proactively tackling plastic pollution, with initiatives set inmotion by government agencies, plastic manufacturers, plastic recyclers, local
governments and non-profit organisations. This section focuses on the policy
and regulatory analysis to identify the gaps and recommend solutions to be included
as part of the action plan.

3.1 POLICIES AND REGULATIONS ON PLASTIC
The following text summarizes key milestones of the policies and initiatives developedby the government of Bangladesh and key stakeholders to address plastic issues.
2002 : Notification ban on polyethylene bags. Bangladesh was the first country to
ban plastic shopping bags through a regulatory order (under the 1995 Environment
Act), but the ban had limited results, mainly because of the lack of institutional
resources and the high cost of alternative materials, which made the policy challenging
to enforce. The Solid Waste Management Rules (SWMR), recently drawn up under theEnvironmental Conservation Act 1995, will be an important milestone towards setting
down appropriate policies and becoming the overarching regulatory framework forplastic waste management in the country.
2005 : Composition of Plastic Waste and Market Assessment of the Plastic Recycling Sector in Dhaka. This study, supported by Katalyst (the Agri-Business for
Trade Competitiveness Project, branded as Katalyst, is a market development project
implemented by Swisscontact in Bangladesh), was the first comprehensive study inthe country to assess plastic waste. Its main goal was to learn about Dhaka’s waste
composition, focusing on recycling. The findings have been used for baseline data tocompare against 2020 data.
2008 : The Medical Waste Management Rules, 2008. The Medical Waste (Management and Treatment) Rules 2008 form the base management of all medical waste in
the country. The rules are applicable only to waste management facilities/operators
i.e. those involved in transportation, treatment, and disposal of medical waste.
2010 : National 3R Strategy for Waste Management. The national 3R (reduce,reuse, and recycle) goal for waste management was to eliminate waste disposal in

43PLASTIC MANAGEMENT

open dumps, rivers, and floodplains by 2015; promote recycling through mandatory
segregation of waste at the source; create a market for recycled products; andprovide incentives for recycling waste. Under this strategy, a 3R wing at MoEFCC wasestablished to promote and implement 3R strategies, with MoEFCC as the 3R focal
point. The DoE is the 3R secretariat.
2010 : Mandatory Jute Packaging Act, 2010. Mandatory Jute Packaging Act, 2010
and Mandatory Jute Packaging Rules, 2013 was enacted to promote the jute industry
and reduce reliance on plastic. Initially, the government had mandated six agriculturalcommodities be packaged in jute. These are paddy, rice, wheat, maize, sugar, andfertilizer. The Act has been amended to include 11 more commodities. At present,
compulsory use of jute packaging for 17 products has been ensured.
2012 : Implementation of 3R pilot initiative in Dhaka and Chattogram to reduce(GHG) emissions (phase 1; 2012). The Climate Change Trust Fund has funded thisproject, which aims to promote the concepts and practices of the 3Rs to raise publicawareness of the benefits of source segregation of waste and recycling.
2014–15 : Baseline study of refuse-derived fuel (RDF) from municipal waste inDhaka. The study was supported by the ICCO Cooperation, Bangladesh, a faith-based
nongovernmental organization for development cooperation. The main objective wasto conduct a baseline study and prepare a business plan to produce RDF for Dhaka andestablish sustainable recycling initiatives and businesses involving the urban poor in
the collection, production, and marketing process of RDF.
2015 : Plastic Park Project to relocate old plastic factories. To improve the working
environment and sustainable growth of the plastics industry, the Bangladesh Smalland Cottage Industries Corporation relocated the old Dhaka plastic factories to a newpark in 2018. This is a BDT 500 million project with an allocation of 50 acres of land.
2015 : Survey on soiled packaging waste and existing management practicefor recycling project. This survey estimated the amount of soiled plastic packaging
waste and its composition arriving at landfill sites, informal cleaning and recycling
facilities located in landfill sites, and older parts of Dhaka. The project analyzed theexisting value chain of soiled packaging and assessed existing formal and informal
facilities located in Kamrangir Char, the Matuail dump site area, Amin Bazar, and theTongi area of Dhaka.
2018 : Clean Dhaka Master Plan (2018–2032). This plan, prepared for the DNCC
and DSCC, emphasized the necessity of an integrated approach to addressing thegrowing population and increase in solid waste in Dhaka. The goal is to achieve
proper waste collection, proper disposal, and waste reduction with recycling andincineration. The master plan targets a combination of 3R and the establishment ofintermediate treatment plants (compost, recycle facilities, e-waste, and industrial
waste management) and incineration plants.
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A M U LT I S E C T O R A L A C T I O N P L A N F O R B A N G L A D E S H

2018 : National Environment Policy. The National Environment Policy envisaged
environment conservation, pollution control, biodiversity conservation, and mitigationof the adverse effect of climate change to ensure sustainable development.
2019 : National workshop. On February 13, 2019, a one-day national workshop—
titled the Sustainable Management of Plastic to Leverage Circular Economy andAchieve the Sustainable Development Goals in Bangladesh—was organized todevelop a sustainable plastic waste management system. The DoE and MoEFCC
brought together policy makers and stakeholders involved with plastic productproduction and consumption, waste management, and recycling. Rather thanfocusing solely on downstream management of plastic waste, it was determinedthat upstream management of plastic packaging waste involving manufacturersof packaging materials, brand users, and importers could be part of the solution. A
technical advisory committee was set up to develop sustainable management ofplastic goods and plastic waste.
2019 : Public-private partnership (PPP) regulatory framework. Provides guidelines
on how to implement PPP projects and the roles and responsibilities of various line
ministries. PPPs will help develop innovative technologies and skilled manpower topromote investments in the recycling of plastic.
2020 : National Plastic Industry Development Policy 2020 (7th Draft). The Ministryof Industries developed this policy. Waste-related policy aims include:• achieving zero waste for plastic and packaging consumption by 2030;• management, standardization, and quality control of recycling; and• recollecting waste from products or packaging to be recycled (this strategy isrelated to the ongoing EPR initiative in Bangladesh that the World Bank prepared).
2020 : Waste-to-energy projects using incineration technology to reduce theamount of landfilled waste. The DNCC and NCC have obtained approval from the
Cabinet Committee on Public Purchase to establish a 42.5 MW waste-to-energy plantin the DNCC and a 5 MW waste-to-energy plant in the NCC. Both projects are expected
to be operational in 24–36 months.
2020 : Piloting of EPR. The World Bank is providing technical support to develop apilot project on EPR in Dhaka with the active participation of local stakeholders (DoE,large brand owners, Bangladesh Plastic Goods Manufacturers & Exporters Association,city corporations, research bodies).
Table 3.1 lists ongoing and planned projects related to plastic waste management,
initiated since 2018.

45

The draft handling rules were finalized in 2021 and require proper segregation

A M U LT I S E C T O R A L A C T I O N P L A N F O R B A N G L A D E S H

2020 : Eighth Five Year Plan, July 2020–June 2025 (Bangladesh Planning Commission2020). To improve management of solid waste in urban areas of Bangladesh, thefollowing strategies are recommended:• Provide incentives for firms to provide door-to-door waste collection where it is
not currently available• Increase sorting and recycling and promote 3R (provide easy access to financing)• Promote waste-to-energy projects where appropriate• Encourage composting given the high organic content of the municipal solid waste
In addition to the aforementioned strategies, the government of Bangladesh has
recommended the following measures to increase private sector participation in
waste management and control illegal disposal of solid waste:• Pricing Policies for Water, Sanitation, and Solid Waste Management: Under the Eighth
Five Year Plan, the government will develop pricing policies to encourage soundmanagement of solid waste. The “beneficiary pays” principle will be used to develop
criteria for setting prices for providing waste collection services—especially for theurban middle class, which now has the income to bear such costs.
• Introduction of Illegal Household Waste Dumping Charges: A system of pollution
charges for illegal disposal of household waste will be introduced that will increasehousehold cooperation and compliance. The government will initially undertake apilot scheme in high-income urban neighbourhoods.
• Exploring Private Financing Options: The public sector will enter into co-financing
arrangements for a range of environmental services through PPPs, including
partnerships with communities.
• Introduction of EPR Policy in Plastic Management: The Eighth Five Year Plan will focus
on managing plastic pollution through EPR. The Plan recommends developing
guidelines that must be functional, and collection, reduction, and recycling targets
should be fixed. Along with EPR, a fee system and benchmark for percentage of
product recyclability, and the proportion of recycled material in products, shouldbe established for the betterment of the environment.
2021 : Handover of khals/canals to the DNCC and DSCC (Daily Star 2021). To address
the long-standing waterlogging and environmental problems of Dhaka, on December
31, 2020, the Dhaka Water Supply and Sewerage Authority formally handed over the
obligation to maintain and manage 26 canals (84.5 kilometers [km]), and 10 km of box
culverts to the DSCC and DNCC, along with the necessary manpower, equipment, andtechnical documents. Although the two city corporations have taken responsibility
for the canals, they did not become their custodians with full authority. The deputy
commissioner’s office remains their custodian. Representatives from the DWASA,
DNCC, DSCC, Capital Development Authority of the Government of Bangladesh,
Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority, and Deputy Commissioner Office of
Dhaka will assist in the survey. The national task force on protecting the country’s
rivers and navigability decided to take back the canals from illegal encroachment in
September 2020 (Shawon 2020).

47

PLASTIC MANAGEMENT

2021 : Electrical and Electronic Waste (Management and Handling) Rules.
Mandates extended producer responsibility for manufacturers and assemblers,with five-year e-waste collection targets; these rules are applicable to all producers,
traders, shopkeepers, stores, collectors, transporters, repairers, collection centers,
crushers, grinders, refurbishers, recyclers, auction dealers, exporters, distributors, andlarge users involved in the production, marketing, purchase, sale, or distribution ofelectrical and electronic products.
FIGURE 3.1: Key milestones for sustainable plastic management in Bangladesh

Notification
ban onpolyethylenebags througha regulatoryorder (underthe 1995
Environment
Act)

2002

Mandatory
Jute
Packaging
Act, 2010

Medical
Waste
Management
Rules, 20082005

National Plastic
Approval granted
Eighth Five Year
Industry Development for Waste-toPlan July 2020–
Policy 2020
energy projects
June 2025(7th Draft)using incineration High Court
Solid Waste
technology inorder to ban
Management Rules
Narayanganj
Formation of technicalof single-use(under the 1995
advisory committee
plastics
Environment Act)for the sustainable

Implementationof 3R pilot
initiative in
Dhaka and
Chittagong

management of plastic
waste management

Electrical andElectronic Waste(Managementand Handling)
Rules, 2021

Clean Dhaka
Master Plan
(2018–2032)

2008

Compositionof plastic waste
and market
assessmentof the plastic
recycling sector
in Dhaka

2010

2012

2015

2018

2019

2020

Plastic park
project torelocate
old plastic
factories
SurveyBaseline study on soiled
packagingof refusewaste
derived fuel
(RDF)

Baseline study
for Dhaka,
Chattogram, andCox’s Bazar

Policy, regulation and initiatives by Government of Bangladesh and municipal bodies
Studies and surveys
Private sector initiatives

Note: DWASA = Dhaka Water Supply and Sewerage Authority;

48

2021

DWASA handed
over its khals/
canals to DNCC
and DSCCCHAPTER 4: ACTION PLAN FORSUSTAINABLE PLASTIC
MANAGEMENT INBANGLADESH

W

orldwide growing concern over plastics, proliferating demand for closedloop materials flows, combined with the increase in regulatory andeconomic instruments underpin plastic management. Potential solutions
and transformative opportunities exist in the entire value chain of plastics: avoid,intercept and redesign. Life cycle thinking has been used as the foundation to charta circular economy–based approach. Policy and regulatory reforms; use of economic
instruments, technology, and infrastructure; and capacity building are key elementsof the enabling framework (figure 4.1).

FIGURE 4.1: Enabling framework for sustainable plastic management•

Policy andEconomic Instruments

RAW
MATERIAL

REGENERATION•

Infrastructure andTechnology••

Community Participation
Awareness Raising andTraining•

Research andInnovation

PRODUCTION

MANAGEMENTCONSUMPTION

Consumption

Target 1)
This approach can contribute to the promotion of a green growth pathway in
Bangladesh, delivering economic gains that are both environmentally sustainable,
and socially inclusive. When natural resources are used efficiently, minimizing
pollution and environmental impacts, opportunities can be created for everyone:
new value chains can foster economic growth, new green jobs can be created, andinnovative products may help to address environmental challenges. An action planfor the sustainable management of plastic in Bangladesh can create a virtuous circleof shared prosperity.

50

A M U LT I S E C T O R A L A C T I O N P L A N F O R B A N G L A D E S HFigure 4.2: Circular Economy contributing to Green Growth

RAW
MATERIAL

REGENERATIONMANAGEMENTECONOMICGROWTHJOBCREATIONPRODUCTIONCONSUMPTIONREDUCTION
OF GHGS
EMISSIONSLOWER
DEPENDENCY
ON FOSSIL
FUELS

4.1 OPPORTUNITIES FOR POLICY DEVELOPMENT
Assessment of plastic pollution prevention measures in Bangladesh shows that plastic
management is one of the most complex challenges. There is not one single solution, rather amore holistic integrated approach based on a mixture of legal, financial as well as communication
instruments is needed. The activities in the action plan take into account the following
considerations:

Policy & economic instruments• Enforce existing rules. The Solid Waste Management Rules (SWMR) provide the basis ofwaste management, including plastic waste and recycling in Bangladesh. Actions proposedin the Clean Dhaka Master Plan (2018–2030), emphasize an integrated approach to address
the challenge of a growing population and the resultant increase in solid waste in Dhaka.
Regulatory frameworks built on public-private partnerships (PPPs) will be required.
• Hold manufacturers responsible. The proposed EPR regulation can play an important role
to build a market that finances recycling systems and boost innovative products to help
advance towards a circular economy.
• Clarify definitions and labels. The National Plastic Industry Development Policy 2020 (7thDraft) will support the sustainable growth of the plastic industry in Bangladesh, especially theuse of bioplastic and biodegradable plastic. Clear definitions of biodegradable, recyclable,
and compostable are required, and laboratory infrastructure will be required for testing andcertification.
• Allocate funding. A budget planning exercise including cost-benefit analysis and detailed51

PLASTIC MANAGEMENT

•

•

•

•

financial analysis is recommended in order to implement the policies.
Promote alternatives before bans. Bans are not effective unless economically viable
alternatives are available. Environmentally friendly alternatives to plastic, such as jute,paper, and biodegradable plastic, are essential. The government must develop a regulatoryenvironment that promotes the production of such alternatives by levying taxes on virginplastic materials and providing tax breaks for alternatives. The Jute Packaging Act of 2010
mandates jute packaging for all commodities; a comprehensive directive for packaging forother commodities and consumer goods is required.
Avoid single-use plastics. The government needs to immediately enforce the ban on SUP
in commercial establishments and coastal areas, including on passenger vessels. A successful
nationwide ban of SUP requires a number of awareness-raising programs and development
and demonstration of affordable alternatives, which will play an important role.
Be inclusive. Policy and regulatory intervention must be inclusive and have a coordinatedapproach because challenges with plastic are multisectoral (industries, tourism, urban, marine,
and water resources). In addition, the informal sector plays an important role in the recycling
value chain. Working conditions are poor, and efficiency is low, so there is room for improvement.
Because women fill the many informal roles in Bangladesh’s waste sector, a gender-inclusive
approach to plastics waste management must be in line with strategies to integrate the informal
sector. Similarly, integration of informal workers must take an intersectional and gender-based
approach in order to reach the most vulnerable. Unless the most vulnerable workers are included,
formalization processes risk displacing those who cannot match the demands of new systems
and economies. Private sector engagement is key to creating a market for recycled plastic andalternatives to plastic.
Boost public procurement. Public sector procurement policies can be used to create
demand for recycled products produced from plastic waste, for example, plastic waste used to
produce RDF, roads, carpeting, and plastic boards.

Infrastructure & technology• Upgrade factories. Facilitate follow-up of the Plastic Park Project to relocate the old plastic
recycling factories in Dhaka and upgrade them with more efficient and safe processing
technologies.
• Invest in infrastructure for collection, sorting, and processing. Efficient waste management
and proper disposal remain the key solution to address the plastic pollution problem. Thisrequires investment in infrastructure, combination of all three waste management options thatis landfills, recycling and incineration or suitable thermo-chemical processes based on waste
streams can reduce plastic waste scientifically and sustainably.
• Fund research and innovation. A plastic management fund can be established to support
research and development, demonstration, and piloting of upstream and downstream
technologies for sustainable plastic management. Research to determine the allowable recycledcontent for various classes of products is also necessary. The fund may also support beachcleaning and marine debris management projects. Innovation and demonstration are key
elements to ensure that new technologies both upstream and downstream are validated in thecontext of Bangladesh so that upscaling and replication are possible. This can best be achievedby setting up a plastic management fund to support entrepreneurs and technology developers.
52

A M U LT I S E C T O R A L A C T I O N P L A N F O R B A N G L A D E S H

The fund may offer both technical and financial assistance and create knowledge products suchas technology fact sheets and case studies, which will help in further facilitation.
• Build circular solutions. The 2010 National 3R Strategy for Waste Management was formulated
to promote reducing, reusing, and recycling. This strategy should be strengthened to include
actions over the life cycle of plastic, especially in the upstream stages. There is a need for acircular approach to product design.

Research & innovation• Regulate plastic design, labelling, and take back. Specific plastic packaging guidelines(design, format, content) are needed for Bangladesh to address overall packaging waste,especially to minimize waste containing MLP. To allow safe, economical recycling, an industryled phaseout program should be facilitated to eliminate the use of hazardous additives inprimary plastics. Labelling of plastic products and materials must be standardized so thatdifferent types of plastic waste can be identified in the waste stream and plastic recycling canbe made more efficient. Policy needs to be introduced to enforce manufacturers to label ‘tobe recycled’ on all plastics that can be recycled. Implementation of EPR is critical for improving
the collection and processing of packaging waste.
• Seek PPP solutions. The plastic value chain touches most businesses sectors; therefore,
industrial portfolios are exposed to an array of risks and opportunities associated with plastic.
Innovation in plastic design and manufacturing, especially packaging, need to be supported
and driven by industry, involving major players along the entire value chain.
• Research on alternatives: In the last decade, the increasing awareness to plastic pollution
has resulted in the demand for substitutes to plastic. Alternatives such as biodegradable andcompostable plastics have been developed and introduced to consumers. For example, theSonali Bag or Golden Bag which is a biodegradable bag and can be an environment friendly
alternative to polythene bags. The cellulose used in Sonali Bags is extracted from jute (BJMC,
2019). However, cost of production of bioplastics is a major constraint for the expansion of
bioplastics. As more industries and commercial enterprises are converting to bio-based products
and packaging, production capacities are rising, supply chains and processes are becoming more
efficient, reducing the cost of bioplastics. With appropriate policy support, prices of bioplastics
can further come to a competitive level with other alternatives.

Community engagement• Generate a buzz. Create a national campaign utilizing principles of behavioural change toraise awareness and empower citizens to make more informed decisions. However, to ensure
success, the infrastructure and alternative products need to be available.
• Education, awareness raising programs, and social mobilization aimed at behavioural change
towards using less plastic, littering, and waste management (including source separation) are
important to introduce in tandem with legal instruments. Eliminating plastics with practicalalternatives, challenging the current throw away culture, and making calculated phasedowns
where possible are important steps to reduce plastic overuse. A systematic approach built on alarge range of materials and methods including drives, campaigns, awareness raising programmes,
creation of educational material, and curriculum development for schools and colleges.
53PLASTIC MANAGEMENT

4.2 ACTION PLAN FOR SUSTAINABLE PLASTIC MANAGEMENT
An action plan for sustainable plastic management in Bangladesh is proposed for
implementation in phases such as short term (2022–23), medium term (2024–26),
and long term (2027–30), allowing for priorities and limitations on financial resources andinstitutional capacities. The action plan provides a blueprint to achieve four interlinked
and complementary targets, which, in turn, help realize the strategies addressing theplastic life cycle. Structured to identify key elements of the enabling framework (Policy
and regulatory reforms; use of economic instruments, technology, and infrastructure;and capacity building), the action plan lists activities that build on each other.
The four strategies focus action at each step of the plastic life cycle to ensure aholistic approach built on circular principles and provide the road map for action(figure 4.3).
FIGURE 4.3: Road map for sustainable plastic management indicating strategies andkey actions
STRATEGY 4: Implement extended
producer responsibility, economic instruments
and innovative virtual platforms to reduce
plastic leakage.

STRATEGY 1: Adopt designfor-environment practices using recycledplastic and alternatives and safe
chemicals for primary and secondary
plastic production.

RAW
MATERIAL

REGENERATIONPRODUCTIONSTRATEGY 3:
Improve waste management
infrastructure to capture, sortand recycle plastics acrosssectors to divert plastics fromlandfills and eliminate hot
spots.

•••

54

MANAGEMENTCONSUMPTIONSTRATEGY 2: Adopt resourceefficient technologies, incentivize
sustainable procurement, and influence
consumer behavior and choices.

Strategy 1 addresses the production of plastics: Adopt design-for-environment
practices using recycled plastic and alternatives and safe chemicals for primary(virgin polymers) and secondary (recycled polymers) plastic production
Strategy 2 targets consumption patterns: Adopt resource-efficient technologies,
incentivize sustainable procurement, and influence consumer behavior and choices.
Strategy 3 aims to strengthen management of plastic waste streams: Improve
waste management infrastructure to capture, sort and recycle plastics acrosssectors (e.g., textiles, building materials, construction) to divert plastics fromlandfills and eliminate hot spots.

A M U LT I S E C T O R A L A C T I O N P L A N F O R B A N G L A D E S H•Strategy 4 enables regeneration: Implement extended producer responsibility,
economic instruments (e.g., deposit refund scheme) and innovative virtual
platforms to reduce plastic leakage.

To avoid duplication and ensure linkages with in-progress measures by the governmentof Bangladesh, the proposed actions have been harmonized with existing work
plans and regulations. Challenges and opportunities from Production (Design and
Manufacturing), Consumption, Management (of waste streams), and potential for
Regeneration provide a sound foundation for a blueprint centered around a visionand four interlinked and complementary targets. All targets will be monitored fromthe 2020-2021 baseline.
FIGURE 4.4: Road map for sustainable plastic management indicating strategies andtargets
Vision: To achieve circular economy re-enforcing the 3R strategy (reduce, reuse,recycle) to avoid, intercept, and redesign plastics to achieve a green growth
pathway for Bangladesh

PRODUCTION
Design and
Manufacturing

Sustainable

CONSUMPTIONMANAGEMENT
of Waste Stream

REGENERATIONSTRATEGY 1: Adopt
design-for-environment practices
using recycled plastic and alternatives
and safe chemicals for primary andsecondary plastic production.

TARGET 1: Achieve a 50 percent
reduction in virgin material consumption
in plastic manufacturing by 2030 byfacilitating circular material flows from the2020/21 baseline.

STRATEGY2: Adopt
resource-efficient technologies,
incentivize sustainable procurement,
and influence consumer behavior andchoices.

TARGET 2: Phase out targeted SUP
by at least 90 percent by 2026 from the2020/21 baseline.

STRATEGY 3: Improve waste
management infrastructure to capture,sort and recycle plastics across sectors
to divert plastics from landfills andeliminate hot spots.

TARGET 3: Reach a 50 percent
plastic waste recycling rate by 2025 and an
80 percent plastic waste recycling rate by2030 from the 2020/21 baseline.

STRATEGY 4: Implement
extended producer responsibility,
economic instruments and innovative
virtual platforms to reduce plastic
leakage.

TARGET 4: Achieve a 30 percent
reduction in annual plastic waste
generation by 2030 from the 2020/21
baseline.

*Note: All targets will be monitored from the 2020-2021 baseline. The current annual plastic waste generation is 1,409,094 tons, and theplastic waste recycling rate is 21.3 percent; see the material flow analysis in section 2.2.

55

PLASTIC MANAGEMENT

Policy and regulatory reforms; use of economic instruments, technology, andinfrastructure; and capacity building are key elements of the enabling framework.
Each target can be achieved by implementing the actions categorized as strategicinterventions and improvements in policy, regulatory, and economic instruments;
technology and infrastructure available for waste management; and stakeholder
capacity to support the actions over the short, medium, and long term.
To achieve the targets, a detailed action plan has been prepared in consultation with key
stakeholders. Stakeholder consultations and bilateral meetings were held to identify
challenges and opportunities for sustainable plastic management in Bangladesh. The
road map and action plan align well with the 10-step road map that the United Nations
Environment Programme developed for governments (UNEP, 2018). The 2020 solid
waste management rules, when approved, will promote source segregation (organic,
inorganic, toxic), EPR, participation of all stakeholders, and technology for recycling.
City corporations and municipalities will be able to participate in proper segregation,collection, transportation, disposal, and recycling of waste generated in urban areasof Bangladesh.
Potential solutions and transformative opportunities exist in the entire value chainof plastics: design, reduced use, improved waste management, behavioural change,
reuse, repair and recycling. Upstream management of plastic is given special attention
and includes reduction of plastic waste at the source, reduction of plastic during
production, reduction of consumption of problematic plastic, and innovative materials
and product design for consumers. To avoid duplication and ensure linkages with inprogress measures by the government of Bangladesh, the proposed actions havebeen harmonized with existing work plans and draft regulations. Due to the COVID-19
pandemic, unavoidable circumstances may cause a delay in the implementation ofshort-term actions. Such delayed or deferred short-term actions can be completed in
the medium term.
Promotion of technology throughout the life cycle of plastic to increase circularity
requires policy guidance and technical assistance, including technology transfer,financing support, and capacity building. Plastic and packaging associations canreadily adopt some technological interventions, although entrepreneurs andmunicipal bodies may need to promote downstream interventions. Digitization,
web applications, and virtual marketplaces will play a significant role in connecting
stakeholders within the plastic value chain. To implement the above recommendations,market creation and adequate policy support and standards setting will be required.
The informal recycling sector has the potential to provide the base for a strong andinclusive circular economy. Technical and financial support to improve the reliability,
scale, structure and build linkages with regional and global markets need to be inplace to further develop this sector.

56

A M U LT I S E C T O R A L A C T I O N P L A N F O R B A N G L A D E S H

The combination of multiple waste management options that is landfills, recycling
and incineration or suitable thermo-chemical processes based on waste streams
can only reduce plastic waste scientifically and sustainably. While recycling is thepreferred approach to managing plastic waste, it is prudent to use coprocessing andincineration in the short term to prevent plastic from being dumped, especially whenwell-managed landfills are not available. Programs can be developed to support thedemonstration of technologies and innovations based on effectiveness, viability, andreplication potential.
Although these targets may appear ambitious, they serve the purpose of setting
a direction and lending a focus. A midterm progress review will help to assess thepractical feasibility and implementation progress of the proposed actions using amonitoring framework described in section 4.5. Based on the findings, the targets
may be adjusted, and actions can then be revised. Actions in the National Action Plan
will be updated as new challenges arise and more information becomes available(table 4.1).

57

PLASTIC MANAGEMENTTABLE 4.1: Proposed action plan for sustainable plastic management
TARGET 1: Achieve a 30 percent reduction in virgin material consumption in plastic manufacturing
by 2030 by facilitating circular material flows from the 2020/21 baseline
Short Term (2022-2023)

Medium Term (2024-2026)

Long Term (2027-2030)

Implement sustainable public procurement ingovernment organizations, city corporations, andmunicipal bodies.

POLICY & ECONOMIC INSTRUMENTS

Draft a clear regulatory framework for plastics
with biodegradable properties.

Establish standard and policy for labelling
hazardous materials.

Implement policy to eliminate hazardous
additives from plastic products and packaging.

Set charges for plastics that have viable
alternatives in stores and supermarkets.

Support industry-led phaseout of problematic
packaging materials.

Create common platform (coordinating body) toimplement plastic policies.

Establish guidelines on eco-labelling of plastic
products and packaging.

Use financial market mechanisms to increase
resilience from fluctuations in prices of plastic
and recycled plastic.

Expand 3R strategy to include circular economy(e.g. via inclusion of minimum recycled content
for construction, textiles and packaging
materials).

Standardize labelling of plastic products andmaterials so that different types of plastic waste
can be identified in the waste stream and enable
more efficient plastic recycling.

Adopt a certification for design of products tominimize virgin plastic in products.

Use financial drivers (e.g. tax reduction/ subsidies)to incentivise increased use of recycled content inproduct designs.

Mandate requirements for recycled content in
key products and packaging.
Phase out microbeads from cosmetic andpersonal care products.

COMMUNITYPARTICIPATION, AWARENESSRAISING AND TRAININGRESEARCH AND
INNOVATIONINFRASTRUCTURE &TECHNOLOGY

Use financial drivers to incentivise manufacture ofsustainable alternative materials e.g. removal of
regulatory blocks.

58

Showcase best practices for product design tominimize virgin plastic in products.
Promote public-private partnerships to sharetechnologies designing products made of recycledplastic and other alternatives to virgin plastic.

Create platform for plastic product manufacturers
to discuss, share and implement end-of-life
management and collection, and recycling.

Design standards for ecolabelling of plastic
products and packaging.

Showcase best practices for product design tominimize virgin plastic in products.

Demonstrate monomaterialization (products madeof single type of plastic polymers) as alterantives
to mixed plastic products.

Set up testing facilities to certify biodegradable
and compostable plastic and recycled content.
Reassess regional plastic material flows.

Study appropriate treatment options within
waste hierarchy and circular economy concepts inplastic waste management.
Initiate awareness programs to promote products
made from recycled plastic.

Train waste recyclers in efficient plastic recovery
from multiple waste streams (e.g., e-waste, end-oflife vehicles).

Raise awareness of and share information onreuse, repair and reuse.

Raise awareness of eco-labeling.

Promote voluntary actions to choose productsthat contain low volumes of plastic.

Create awareness on sustainable procurement
procedures across public and privateorganizations.

A M U LT I S E C T O R A L A C T I O N P L A N F O R B A N G L A D E S H

COMMUNITYPARTICIPATION, AWARENESSRAISING AND TRAININGRESEARCH AND INNOVATIONINFRASTRUCTURE &TECHNOLOGYPOLICY & ECONOMIC INSTRUMENTS

TARGET 2: Phase out targeted SUP by at least 90 percent by 2026 from the 2020/21 baseline
Short Term (2022-2023)

Medium Term (2024-2026)

Develop strategy to ban SUP items (product chains,
instruments, roles, timelines).

Enforce ban on single-use plastics (SUPs) starting withcoastal region. Scale up ban to national level.

Long Term (2027-2030)

Impose fees on production of SUP/polluter pays.

Impose higher tax and value added tax on SUP item
(especially plastic bottles) to discourage their use.

Phase out unnecessary and problematic SUPs andin government offices (ex: straws) and on cargo andpassenger vessels.

Establish environmental certification for productmanufacturers who adopt design for re-using plastic andreduce SUP.

Require all packaging 100% reusable, recyclable, orcompostable by certain date.

Explore affordable alternatives to SUP, including
packaging.

Use financial drivers to incentivise manufacture ofsustainable alternative materials e.g. removal of
regulatory blocks, technology/ commercial incentives andestablishing taxes (including on imports).

Draft guidelines and rules to minimize plastic
packaging.

Develop public-private partnership to share technologies
to minimize plastic in products and packaging.

Set incentives for brand owners, manufacturers,
and importers to follow guidelines for sustainable
packaging.

Establish charges for plastics that have viable alternatives
in stores and supermarkets.

Scale up charge setting for plastics that have viable
alternatives.

Introduce water coolers to provide access to safe drinking
water in public spaces.

Establish product design labs to demonstrate innovations
for plastic waste reduction including biodegradable.

Demonstrate alternative packaging materials.

Create system labeling for biodegradable plastic as per
guidelines.

Scale-up industry-led phaseout of problematic packaging
materials.

Create monitoring system for tracking manufacturing
and distribution of SUP.

Track the targets of the monitoring system for
manufacturing and distribution of SUP and update asnecessary.

Revise targets, methodologies based on monitoring.

Conduct baseline study, including best practices, on SUP
waste in coastal towns.

Transfer and promote technology for affordable
alternatives to SUP.

Build communication resources on environmental,
economic, and social costs of SUP pollution.

Host contests and challenges to support innovations in
SUP waste reduction.
Build knowledge platform to map regional SUP material
flows.

Develop public-private partnership to share technologies
to minimize plastic in products and packaging and formarine operations (e.g., fishing gear).

Promote citizen initiatives such as bring your own bag,bottle, or box.

Drives & campaigns roll out actions to reduce consumptionof SUP including educational materials for children.

Promote best practices for citizens, institutions, andevent organizers to reduce use of SUP.

Promote consumer facing campaigns to promote reuse,
reduce plastic consumption, and recycling.

Create behaviour change toolkits to address barriers for
adopting plastic alternatives.

Create behaviour change toolkits to address barriers for
adopting plastic alternatives.

Fund, through incentives (tax rebates) and national andlocal funds, research and development of new designs
and materials as alternatives to plastic.

Train product manufacturers on design forenvironment practices.

Raise awareness on environmental-certification.

59

PLASTIC MANAGEMENTTARGET 3: Reach a 50 percent plastic waste recycling rate by 2025 and an 80 percent plastic waste
recycling rate by 2030 from the 2020/21 baseline

COMMUNITYPARTICIPATION, AWARENESSRAISING AND TRAININGRESEARCH AND INNOVATIONINFRASTRUCTURE & TECHNOLOGYPOLICY & ECONOMIC INSTRUMENTS

Short Term (2022-2023)

60

Through collaboration between various agencies,
implement the Solid Waste Management Rules.

Medium Term (2024-2026)

Long Term (2027-2030)

Standardize labelling of plastic products and materials toenable more efficient plastic recycling.
Establish target on waste diversion from landfills throughcomposting, recycling and incineration.

Draft anti-litter regulations and laws.

Ban landfill of recyclable plastics (ex: PET, HDPE).
Create finance and budget planning for
implementation of anti-litter regulations.
Implement Basel Convention to eliminate illegal
waste trafficking.
Establish policies to drive demand for locally
produced recycled feedstocks (e.g. via inclusion ofminimum recycled content) via financial incentives/
disincentives.

Introduce separate bins for organic, inorganic, toxic
waste, hazardous, biomedical waste and multilayer
plastic waste.

Implement stormwater and storm drain filtration andriver mouth trash collection to prevent marine litter.
Enforce anti-litter regulations and laws by having city
corporations and municipalities provide infrastructure to
replace illegal waste disposal hot spots.
Implement compost collection to divert waste fromlandfill to minimize contamination in recycling.

Adopt municipal targets, aligned with national targets
for plastic waste recycling.

Establish formal infrastructure to store and deliver
segregated waste for disposal and recycling.

Modernize recycling capacity for plastic waste.

Relocate plastic factories from older sites in Dhaka (toex: Plastic Park Project, a plastic industrial park).

Create monitoring system for targets through the value
chain from baseline.

Track the targets throught the value chain including
recycling facilities utilizing tehnologies.

Revise targets, methodologies based on monitoring.

Use geographic information system mapping to monitor
illegal hot spots.

Estimate extent of marine plastic pollution.

Explore technology to collect macro- and microplastics(e.g., microbeads).

Facilitate partnerships between private sectors
in Bangladesh and other countries for research,technology transfer, and capacity building.

Demonstrate cost-effective technologies for sorting
plastic waste, cleaning and recycling mixed- and lowvalue plastic, waste to fuel, and plastic recycling.

Promote LEED (or equivalent) standards in units within
the plastic value chain to drive resource efficiency.

Develop a baseline and methodology for assessing andmonitoring the extent of plastic litter.

Incorporate appropriate local standards and testingto create an affordable level playing field locally to
produce high-quality, certified recycled plastic.

Explore mobile apps and digitization to connect
informal waste pickers to plastic waste value chain.

Promote virtual marketplaces to connect waste
generators, aggregators, and recyclers.

Study and demonstrate efficient recovery of plastic fromproducts at end of life (e.g., removal of nonplastic parts
from plastic products, dismantling, physical conversion).

Study on waste to energy plants and processes/incirators.

Promote voluntary actions in neighborhoods andcommunities for public cleaning (e.g., streets, beaches).

Introduce recycling campaigns in school.

Develop web resources such as communication toolkits
on best practices for source segregation and plastic
recycling.

Train citizens, and municipal and district officials on
best practices for source segregation, plastic reuse, andrecycling.

Initiate awareness programs on 3Rs across the country anddevelop curriculum for schools and colleges.

Continue drives, campaigns and development ofeducational materials and curriculum for schools andcolleges.

Include representation from informal sector andconsumer groups in NPIDP to ensure policy is grounded
in reality.

Provide training and/or education and a living wage towaste management and recycling sector workers to build
capacity in its people.

Train waste entrepreneurs on technology choices forplastic recycling.

A M U LT I S E C T O R A L A C T I O N P L A N F O R B A N G L A D E S H

TARGET 4: Achieve a 30 percent reduction in annual plastic waste generation by 2030 from the2020/21 baseline
Medium Term (2024-2026)

Long Term (2027-2030)

Draft guidelines and rules for sustainable packaging tominimize plastic consumption.

Draft guidelines of labelling for biodegradable plastic.

Scale up charge setting for plastics that have viable
alternatives.

Finalize and pilot EPR to enable industry co-funding ofplastic-waste collection and recycling systems.

Through EPR, ensure environmentally sound managementof SUPs and other plastics for producer or manufacturer
or importer.

Introduce buyback or deposit refund scheme.

Create waste exchange marketplace.

Formalize the plastic sorting and recycling capacity.

POLICY & ECONOMIC INSTRUMENTS

Short Term (2022-2023)

Establish producer responsibility organizations.
Expand 3R strategy to include circular economy (e.g. via
inclusion of minimum recycled content for construction,
textiles and packaging materials).

Standardize labelling of plastic products and materials so thatdifferent types of plastic waste can be identified in the waste
stream and enable more efficient plastic recycling.
Enforce fishing net bans to reduce marine waste.

Incentivize use of alternate materials for marine operations(e.g., fishing gear).

COMMUNITYPARTICIPATION, AWARENESS RAISING AND
TRAININGRESEARCH AND
INNOVATIONINFRASTRUCTURE& TECHNOLOGY

Create regulations to prohibit and ban import ofplastic waste.
Demonstrate alternative packaging materials.

Continue to demonstrate best practices in design forenvironment for products and packaging.

Establish product design labs to demonstrate
innovations for plastic waste reduction including
biodegradable.

Create system labelling for biodegradable plastic as per
guidelines.
Support industry-led phaseout of problematic packaging
materials.

Develop best practices for plastic waste reduction in fastmoving consumer goods.

Host contests and challenges to support innovations inplastic waste reduction.

Develop public-private partnership to share technologies
to minimize plastic in products and packaging.

Build knowledge platform to map regional plastic
material flows
Initiate awareness programs on reducing use of plastics
across the country and encourage sustainable consumer
behavior and choices.

Initiate awareness programs on 3Rs across the country anddevelop curriculum for schools and colleges.

Train product manufacturers on design forenvironment practices.
Align community education efforts to reduce waste andto maximize impact.

Continue drives, campaigns and development ofeducational materials and curriculum for schools andcolleges.
Support community-based reuse and repair centres,
enabling communities to avoid creating waste.

Develop and launch a recyclability app to support
community participation and reduce contamination rates
in municipal solid waste.
Remove illegal hot spots through community clean-ups.

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PLASTIC MANAGEMENT

4.3 INSTITUTIONAL FRAMEWORK FOR SUSTAINABLE PLASTIC
MANAGEMENT
Given the multi-stakeholder and multi-sectoral features of the action plan, it is importantthat implementation is carried out by the DoE in coordination with and supported byrelevant ministries and involves local bodies. The Solid Waste Management Rules (SWMR)
drawn up under the Environmental Conservation Act 1995 will be the overarchingregulatory framework for plastic waste management in the country. As per the SWMR
the DoE will promote the circulation of resources by setting short to long term and phaseby phase resource circulation goals concerning waste collection, final waste disposal,
resource circulation rates, and by taking actions accordingly (shown in Figure 4.5).
Plastic waste management provides an opportunity to facilitate plastic material flow
across various sectors. The action plan, therefore, seeks a multisectoral involvement thatwill be guided by the DOE to achieve a coordinated, and synergistic approach in drawing
the sector-specific interventions.
Several stakeholders play a role in sustainable plastic management. These include plastic
manufacturers, consumers, waste collectors and processors, technology developers,
and investors, as well as the market players and regulators. It is, therefore, necessary tofollow a multistakeholder approach to draw in a wider stakeholder involvement to realize
sustained and effective outcomes. Thus, elements such as awareness raising, holding
cleanup campaigns, training, and developing the capacity of professionals have been
considered in the action plan.
Municipalities under the guidance of the Ministry of Local Government, Rural Development,
and Cooperatives need to strengthen and improve final waste disposal and resource
circulation rates. While Ministry of Industries, Ministry of Housing and Public Works, Ministryof Textiles and Jute, Ministry of Shipping, and relevant agencies under these ministries needto set up goals to encourage businesses to strengthen and improve recycling performancesby setting resource circulation goals for different types of businesses and providing financial
and technological incentives for the subject businesses to strive to achieve those goals. The
detailed action plan, added in Appendix A, includes identified responsible organizations
which need to work together on common policy and systems approaches for sustainable
plastics management. The identified lead and responsible organizations shown in Appendix
A are based on extensive stakeholder consultations. However, further engagement anddiscussions are required with identified ministries and agencies to build ownership andagreement on responsibility and a way forward.
To effectively implement the action plan, a `National Coordination Committee’ has been
proposed to coordinate, monitor, and facilitate the implementation of the road map.
The MoEFCC can be the leading agency chaired by the Secretary of the MoEFCC. InterMinisterial Committee is also needed to coordinate with key stakeholders as plastic
management is a multi-sectoral agenda.

62

PLASTIC MANAGEMENT

The following framework will be used for monitoring of the proposed action plan:
FIGURE 4.6: Monitoring framework for proposed Action Plan
To be decided when setting up
monitoring framework

TargetBased on collection ofmonitoring data

Strategy

Verfiable
Indicator

Source,metadata

Value

Trend

Strategy

Verfiable
Indicator

Source,metadata

Value

Trend

Strategy

Verfiable
Indicator

Source,metadata

Value

Trend

Modifications/ Policy review

The following output indicators can be used to assess implementation:• Number of technology demonstration projects conducted• Number of research and development projects funded• Number of participants in awareness programs conducted• Number of training programs conducted, and participants trained• Number of hot spots remediated out of number remaining– Beach area cleaned– Number of participants in beach cleanups– Amount of plastic waste entering landfills
Studies may be conducted to arrive at outcome indicators such as the following:• Ratio of annual plastic imports to total plastic consumption (in percentage)• Ratio of annual plastic produced from virgin materials and plastic produced fromrecycled plastic in overall plastic production (in percentage)• Annual plastic and packaging waste collection rates (in percentage)• Annual plastic and packaging waste recycling rates (in percentage)• Ratio of annual production of SUP in total plastic production (in percentage)• Ratio of plastic waste in total waste generation (in percentage)• Ratio of packaging waste in total plastic waste generation (in percentage)
The implementation agency shall report on the above indicators. A midterm review
may be conducted in 2025 to evaluate the implementation of the action plan andadd and modify actions if needed. As the program coordinator, the DoE shall makeprovisions for data collection, set formats for collecting the data for both output andoutcome indicators on a biannual basis, and consolidate the information in an annual
report to compare with the targets that have been set. The DoE will have to set up a
budget with formats for monitoring activity, including the conduct of studies. The
monitoring will have to be coordinated with key stakeholders, sector institutions, andconcerned ministries.
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A M U LT I S E C T O R A L A C T I O N P L A N F O R B A N G L A D E S H

4.5 DISSEMINATION OF THE ACTION PLAN
Dissemination of the action plan to key stakeholders is crucial. This may be done by
distributing brochures in local languages, using both print and social media, holding
events, and conducting webinars. Stakeholders should include industry associations,municipal officials, regulators, research and academia, and non-governmental andcommunity-based organizations engaged with informal workers. Short video clips
giving the context, objectives, and proposed actions will also help.

4.6 LINKAGE WITH THE UNITED NATIONS SUSTAINABLE
DEVELOPMENT GOALS
The project is aligned with the government’s commitment to Sustainable Development
Goal (SDG) 14 (conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas, and marine resources
for sustainable development), especially SDG target 14.1, which seeks to preventand significantly reduce marine pollution of all kinds, particularly from land-based
activities, including marine debris and nutrient pollution, by 2025. Although the
project is focused on SDG target 14.1, the project has other co-benefits that address
SDGs 3, 11, and 12. Figure 4.7 shows the different SDGs linked with this project.
Raising stakeholder awareness through sustained communication and the use of
economic instruments are vital to ensure successful implementation of the proposedsustainable action plan. It is essential to support innovations in plastic waste reduction
and recycling technologies backed by financial assistance to catalyze inclusive
business models. These interventions across stakeholders will fast-track the transition
to a circular plastics economy and enable the government to achieve its vision andbecome a role model for other countries.
FIGURE 4.7: SDGS directly and indirectly linked to plastic management
Main Goal

14

LIFE
BELOW WATER

14.1: By 2025, prevent and significantly reduce marine pollution of all kinds, particularly
from land-based activities, including marine debris and nutrient pollution
Co-benefit

3

GOOD HEALTH AND
WELL-BEING

11

3.9: By 2030 substantially reduce the number of deaths and illnesses from hazardous
chemicals and air, water, and soil pollution and contamination

SUSTAINABLE CITIESAND COMMUNITIES

11.6: By 2030, reduce the adverse per capita environmental impact of cities, including by
paying special attention to air quality, municipal and other waste managementRESPONSIBLE
CONSUMPTION AND

12 PRODUCTION

12.5: By 2030, substantially reduce waste generation through prevention, reduction,
recycling, and reuse

65References
Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics. 2018. Bangladesh Statistics 2018. Dhaka: Bangladesh
Bureau of Statistics, Statistics and Informatics Division, Ministry of Planning, Governmentof Bangladesh. http://bbs.portal.gov.bd/sites/default/files/files/bbs.portal.gov.bd/page/
a1d32f13_8553_44f1_92e6_8ff80a4ff82e/Bangladesh%20%20Statistics-2018.pdf.
Bangladesh Jute Mills Corporation. 2019. https://bjmc.portal.gov.bd/sites/default/files/files/
bjmc.portal.gov.bd/page/07706287_af1c_44a3_9d78_95b4a97439ab/Sonali%20Bag%20
Brochure.pdf
Bangladesh Planning Commission. 2020. Eighth Five Year Plan, July 2020–June 2025:
Promoting Prosperity and Fostering Inclusiveness. Dhaka: General Economics Division,
Bangladesh Planning Commission, Government of Bangladesh. http://www.plancomm.
gov.bd/sites/default/files/files/plancomm.portal.gov.bd/files/68e32f08_13b8_4192_ab9b_
abd5a0a62a33/2021-02-03-17-04-ec95e78e452a813808a483b3b22e14a1.pdf.
Boucher, J., M. Zgola, X. Liao, A. Kounina, G. Billard, P. Paruta, and A. Bouchet. 2020.
National Guidance for Plastic Pollution Hot spotting and Shaping Action: Introduction to the
Methodology. Nairobi: United Nations Environment Programme. https://wedocs.unep.org/
bitstream/handle/20.500.11822/33166/NGP.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y.
Daily Star. 2021. “Managing Dhaka’s 26 Canals, Box Culverts: Charge Goes to Two City Corporations.” January 1. https://www.thedailystar.net/frontpage/news/managing-dhakas-26-canals-box-culverts-charge-goes-two-city-corporations-2020449.
Enayetullah, I, Sinha, A, H M, M & Khan, S, S, A 2005, Urban Solid Waste Management Scenario
of Bangladesh: Problems and Prospects, Waste Concern, Dhaka, Bangladesh.
Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety. n.d. “Waste
Policy.” https://www.bmu.de/en/topics/water-waste-soil/waste-management/waste-policy/.
Ministry of Industries. 2020. National Plastic Industry Development Policy 2020 (7th Draft).
Dhaka: Ministry of Industries, Government of Bangladesh. https://moind.portal.gov.bd/sites/
default/files/files/moind.portal.gov.bd/notices/2fcda418_ec50_4075_888b_cb3fa59fef21/
National%20Plastic%20Policy%202020.pdf.
Ministry of the Environment. 2018. Fundamental Plan for Establishing a Sound MaterialCycle Society. Tokyo: Ministry of the Environment, Government of Japan. https://www.env.
go.jp/en/recycle/smcs/4th-f_Plan.pdf.
Patil, P.G., J. Virdin, C.S. Colgan, M.G. Hussain, P. Failler, and T. Vegh. 2018. Toward a Blue
Economy: A Pathway for Bangladesh’s Sustainable Growth. Washington, DC: World Bank.
https://openknowledge.worldbank.org/handle/10986/30014.
Royal Norwegian Embassy. 2019. Mapping and Screening Study of Marine Littering Projects
in Bangladesh. Report prepared by Waste Concern Consultants. Dhaka: Royal NorwegianEmbassy.

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Schmaltz, E., E.C. Melvin, Z. Diana, E.F. Gunady, D. Rittschof, J.A. Somarelli, and M.M. DunphyDaly. 2020. “Plastic Pollution Solutions: Emerging Technologies to Prevent and CollectMarine Plastic Pollution.” Environment International 144 (November): 106067. https://doi.
org/10.1016/j.envint.2020.106067.
Shawon, A.A. 2020. “Restoring Dhaka’s Canals: Govt Decides to Initiate Combined Survey.”
Dhaka Tribune, October 9. https://www.dhakatribune.com/bangladesh/dhaka/2020/10/09/
restoring-dhaka-s-canals-govt-decides-to-initiate-combined-survey.
World Bank. 2015. Bangladesh: Country Snapshot. Washington, DC: World Bank. http://
documents1.worldbank.org/curated/en/190391468190764030/pdf/100113-WP-PUBLICBox393225B-Bangladesh-Country-Snapshot.pdf.
———. 2018. Enhancing Opportunities for Clean and Resilient Growth in Urban Bangladesh:Country Environmental Analysis 2018. Washington, DC: World Bank. https://openknowledge.
worldbank.org/handle/10986/30558.
UNEP (United Nations Environment Programme). 2018. Single-Use Plastics: A Roadmap for
Sustainability. Rev. ed. Nairobi: UNEP. https://www.unep.org/ietc/resources/publication/
single-use-plastics-roadmap-sustainability.
UNEP (United Nations Environment Programme). 2018. Legal Limits on Single-Use Plastics
and Microplastics:A Global Review of National Laws and Regulations. UNEP in collaboration
with World Resources Institute. https://www.unep.org/resources/report/legal-limits-singleuse-plastics-and-microplastics

67

Appendices - A

Detailed action plan for sustainable plastic management in Bangladesh
TARGET 1: Achieve a 30 percent reduction in virgin material consumption in plastic manufacturing by 2030 byfacilitating circular material flows from the 2020/21 baseline
Short Term (2022-2023)

Medium Term (2024-2026)

Long Term (2027-2030)

Implement sustainable public procurement
in government organizations, city
corporations, and municipal bodies.

POLICY & ECONOMIC INSTRUMENTS

Draft a clear regulatory framework forplastics with biodegradable properties.

Establish standard and policy for labelling
hazardous materials.

Implement policy to eliminate hazardous
additives from plastic products and packaging.

Set charges for plastics that have viable
alternatives in stores and supermarkets.

Support industry-led phaseout of problematic
packaging materials.

Create common platform (coordinatingbody) to implement plastic policies.

Establish guidelines on eco-labelling ofplastic products and packaging.

Use financial market mechanisms to increase
resilience from fluctuations in prices of plastic
and recycled plastic.

Expand 3R strategy to include circular
economy (e.g. via inclusion of minimum
recycled content for construction, textiles
and packaging materials).

Standardize labelling of plastic products andmaterials so that different types of plastic
waste can be identified in the waste stream
and enable more efficient plastic recycling.

Adopt a certification for design of products tominimize virgin plastic in products.

Use financial drivers (e.g. tax reduction/
subsidies) to incentivise increased use ofrecycled content in product designs.

Mandate requirements for recycled content in
key products and packaging.
Phase out microbeads from cosmetic andpersonal care products.

Use financial drivers to incentivise
manufacture of sustainable alternative
materials e.g. removal of regulatory blocks.

COMMUNITYPARTICIPATION, AWARENESSRAISING AND TRAININGRESEARCH AND
INNOVATIONINFRASTRUCTURE& TECHNOLOGY

Showcase best practices for product design tominimize virgin plastic in products.

68

Promote public-private partnerships to sharetechnologies designing products made ofrecycled plastic and other alternatives tovirgin plastic.

Demonstrate monomaterialization (products
made of single type of plastic polymers) as
alterantives to mixed plastic products.

Create platform for plastic productmanufacturers to discuss, share and implement
end-of-life management and collection, andrecycling.
Set up testing facilities to certify
biodegradable and compostable plastic andrecycled content.

Design standards for ecolabelling of plastic
products and packaging.

Showcase best practices for product design tominimize virgin plastic in products.

Reassess regional plastic material flows.

Study appropriate treatment options within
waste hierarchy and circular economy
concepts in plastic waste management.

Initiate awareness programs to promote
products made from recycled plastic.

Train waste recyclers in efficient plastic recovery
from multiple waste streams (e.g., e-waste,
end-of-life vehicles).

Raise awareness of and share information onreuse, repair and reuse.

Raise awareness of eco-labelling.

Promote voluntary actions to choose productsthat contain low volumes of plastic.

Create awareness on sustainableprocurement procedures across public andprivate organizations.

Responsible Organizations
Lead institutions and Agencies• Ministry of Environment, Forest andClimate Change• Ministry of Local Government, Rural
Development and Cooperatives• Ministry of Commerce• Ministry of Industries• Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock• Department of Environment• Department of Fisheries
Relevant institutions and agencies• Bangladesh Standards and Testing
Institution• National Board of Revenue• Ministry of Agriculture• Ministry of Housing and Public Works• City corporations and Municipalities• Informal sector• Community-based organizations• Brand owners• Manufacturers• Technical extended professional
responsibility committee• Consumer Association of Bangladesh

Lead institutions and agencies• Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate
Change• Ministry of Commerce• Ministry of Industries• Ministry of Science and Technology• Department of Environment• Bangladesh Standards and Testing
Institution• Universities and research organizations

Lead institutions and agencies• Ministry of Commerce• Ministry of Industries• Ministry of Science and Technology• Bangladesh Standards and Testing
Institution• Universities and research organizations
Lead institutions and agencies• Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate
Change• Ministry of Local Government, Rural
Development and Cooperatives• Ministry of Science and Technology• Ministry of Education and relevant
government agencies and education boards• Universities, schools and colleges• MediaA M U LT I S E C T O R A L A C T I O N P L A N F O R B A N G L A D E S H

COMMUNITYPARTICIPATION, AWARENESS RAISING
AND TRAININGRESEARCH AND INNOVATIONINFRASTRUCTURE &TECHNOLOGYPOLICY & ECONOMIC INSTRUMENTS

TARGET 2: Phase out targeted SUP by at least 90 percent by 2026 from the 2020/21 baseline
Short Term (2022-2023)

Medium Term (2024-2026)

Develop strategy to ban SUP items (productchains, instruments, roles, timelines).

Enforce ban on single-use plastics (SUPs)
starting with coastal region. Scale up ban tonational level.

Long Term (2027-2030)

Impose fees on production of SUP/polluter pays.

Impose higher tax and value added tax
on SUP item (especially plastic bottles) todiscourage their use.

Phase out unnecessary and problematic SUPs
and in government offices (ex: straws) and on
cargo and passenger vessels.

Establish environmental certification for
product manufacturers who adopt design for
re-using plastic and reduce SUP.

Require all packaging 100% reusable,
recyclable, or compostable by certain date.

Explore affordable alternatives to SUP,
including packaging.

Use financial drivers to incentivise manufactureof sustainable alternative materials e.g. removalof regulatory blocks, technology/ commercial
incentives and establishing taxes (including
on imports).

Draft guidelines and rules to minimize plastic
packaging.

Develop public-private partnership to sharetechnologies to minimize plastic in products
and packaging.

Set incentives for brand owners,
manufacturers, and importers to follow
guidelines for sustainable packaging.

Establish charges for plastics that have viable
alternatives in stores and supermarkets.

Scale up charge setting for plastics that have
viable alternatives.

Introduce water coolers to provide access to safe
drinking water in public spaces.

Establish product design labs to demonstrate
innovations for plastic waste reduction
including biodegradable.

Demonstrate alternative packaging materials.

Create system labelling for biodegradable
plastic as per guidelines.

Scale-up industry-led phaseout of problematic
packaging materials.

Create monitoring system for tracking
manufacturing and distribution of SUP.

Track the targets of the monitoring system for
manufacturing and distribution of SUP and
update as necessary.

Revise targets, methodologies based onmonitoring.

Conduct baseline study, including bestpractices, on SUP waste in coastal towns.

Transfer and promote technology for affordable
alternatives to SUP.

Build communication resources onenvironmental, economic, and social costs of
SUP pollution.

Host contests and challenges to support
innovations in SUP waste reduction.

Fund, through incentives (tax rebates)
and national and local funds, research anddevelopment of new designs and materials
as alternatives to plastic.

Build knowledge platform to map regional SUP
material flows.

Develop public-private partnership to sharetechnologies to minimize plastic in products
and packaging and for marine operations (e.g.,
fishing gear).

Promote citizen initiatives such as bring yourown bag, bottle, or box.

Drives & campaigns roll out actions to reduce
consumption of SUP including educational
materials for children.

Promote best practices for citizens,
institutions, and event organizers to reduceuse of SUP.

Promote consumer facing campaigns topromote reuse, reduce plastic consumption,and recycling.

Create behaviour change toolkits to address
barriers for adopting plastic alternatives.

Create behaviour change toolkits to address
barriers for adopting plastic alternatives.

Train product manufacturers on design-forenvironment practices.

Raise awareness on environmentalcertification.

Responsible
Organizations
Lead institutions and Agencies• Ministry of Environment, Forest andClimate Change• Ministry of Local Government, Rural
Development and Cooperatives• Ministry of Commerce• Ministry of Industries• Ministry of Shipping• Department of Environment• Bangladesh Inland Water Transport
Authority• City Corporations and Municipalities
Relevant institutions and agencies• National Board of Revenue• Informal sector• Community-based organizations• Brand owners• Manufacturers• Importers• Media

Relevant institutions and agencies• Ministry of Civil Aviation and Tourism• Ministry of Industries• Ministry of Education• Port Authority• Bangladesh Hotel and Guest House
Owners• Informal sector• Nongovernmental organizations andcommunity-based organizations• Brand owners, manufacturers, importers• Bangladesh Plastic Goods
Manufacturers & Exporters Association• Technical extended producer
responsibility committee• International development agencies• Bangladesh Standards and Testing
Institution• Media• Bangladesh Hotel and Guest House
Owners• Informal sector• Nongovernmental organizations andcommunity-based organizations• Brand owners, manufacturers, importers• Bangladesh Plastic Goods Manufacturers& Exporters Association• Technical extended producer
responsibility committee• International development agencies• Bangladesh Standards and Testing
Institution• Media69

PLASTIC MANAGEMENTPOLICY & ECONOMIC INSTRUMENTS

TARGET 3: Reach a 50 percent plastic waste recycling rate by 2025 and an 80 percent plastic waste recycling
rate by 2030 from the 2020/21 baseline
Short Term (2022-2023)

Medium Term (2024-2026)

Through collaboration between various agencies,
implement the Solid Waste Management Rules.

Standardize labelling of plastic products and materials
to enable more efficient plastic recycling.
Establish target on waste diversion from landfills
through composting, recycling and incineration.

Draft anti-litter regulations and laws.

Ban landfill of recyclable plastics (ex: PET, HDPE).
Create finance and budget planning for
implementation of anti-litter regulations.
Implement Basel Convention to eliminate illegal
waste trafficking.
Establish policies to drive demand for locally
produced recycled feedstocks (e.g. via inclusionof minimum recycled content) via financial
incentives/ disincentives.

Introduce separate bins for organic, inorganic, toxic
waste, hazardous, biomedical waste and multilayer
plastic waste.

Implement stormwater and storm drain filtration
and river mouth trash collection to prevent marine
litter.
Enforce anti-litter regulations and laws by having city
corporations and municipalities provide infrastructure
to replace illegal waste disposal hot spots.
Implement compost collection to divert waste fromlandfill to minimize contamination in recycling.

Adopt municipal targets, aligned with nationaltargets for plastic waste recycling.

Establish formal infrastructure to store and deliver
segregated waste for disposal and recycling.

Modernize recycling capacity for plastic waste.

Relocate plastic factories from older sites in Dhaka(to ex: Plastic Park Project, a plastic industrial park).

Create monitoring system for targets through thevalue chain from baseline.

Track the targets throught the value chain including
recycling facilities utilizing tehnologies.

Revise targets, methodologies based onmonitoring.

Use geographic information system mapping tomonitor illegal hot spots.

Estimate extent of marine plastic pollution.

Explore technology to collect macro- andmicroplastics (e.g., microbeads).

Demonstrate cost-effective technologies for sorting
plastic waste, cleaning and recycling mixed- and lowvalue plastic, waste to fuel, and plastic recycling.

RESEARCH AND INNOVATION

Facilitate partnerships between private sectors
in Bangladesh and other countries for research,technology transfer, and capacity building.

Explore mobile apps and digitization to connect
informal waste pickers to plastic waste value chain.

Promote virtual marketplaces to connect waste
generators, aggregators, and recyclers.

Study and demonstrate efficient recovery of plastic
from products at end of life (e.g., removal of
nonplastic parts from plastic products, dismantling,
physical conversion).

Study on waste to energy plants and processes/
incirators.

Promote voluntary actions in neighborhoods andcommunities for public cleaning (e.g., streets,
beaches).

Introduce recycling campaigns in school.

Develop web resources such as communication
toolkits on best practices for source segregationand plastic recycling.

Train citizens, and municipal and district officials on
best practices for source segregation, plastic reuse,
and recycling.

Initiate awareness programs on 3Rs across the country
and develop curriculum for schools and colleges.

Continue drives, campaigns and development ofeducational materials and curriculum for schools
and colleges.

Include representation from informal sector andconsumer groups in NPIDP to ensure policy isgrounded in reality.

Provide training and/or education and a living wage
to waste management and recycling sector workers tobuild capacity in its people.

Train waste entrepreneurs on technology choices
for plastic recycling.

70

Responsible Organizations
Lead institutions and Agencies• Ministry of Environment, Forest andClimate Change• Ministry of Local Government, Rural
Development and Co-operatives• Ministry of Commerce• Ministry of Industries
Relevant institutions and agencies• Bangladesh Standards and Testing
Institution• National Board of Revenue• Ministry of Agriculture• Ministry of Housing and Public Works• City corporations and Municipalities• Informal sector• Community-based organizations• Brand owners• Manufacturers• Importers• Technical extended producer
responsibility committee• Consumer Association of Bangladesh

Promote LEED (or equivalent) standards in units
within the plastic value chain to drive resource
efficiency.

COMMUNITY PARTICIPATION,
AWARENESS RAISING AND
TRAINING

INFRASTRUCTURE & TECHNOLOGYLong Term (2027-2030)

Incorporate appropriate local standards and testingto create an affordable level playing field locally to
produce high-quality, certified recycled plastic.

Develop a baseline and methodology for assessing
and monitoring the extent of plastic litter.

• Community-based organizations• Brand owners• Manufacturers• Importers• Technical extended producer
responsibility committee• Consumer Association of Bangladesh• Media• Community-based organizations• Brand owners• Manufacturers• Importers• Technical extended producer
responsibility committee• Consumer Association of Bangladesh

A M U LT I S E C T O R A L A C T I O N P L A N F O R B A N G L A D E S H

POLICY & ECONOMIC INSTRUMENTS

TARGET 4: Achieve a 30 percent reduction in annual plastic waste generation by 2030 from the 2020/21 baseline
Short Term (2022-2023)

Medium Term (2024-2026)

Long Term (2027-2030)

Responsible Organizations

Draft guidelines and rules for sustainable
packaging to minimize plastic consumption.

Draft guidelines of labelling for biodegradable
plastic.

Scale up charge setting for plastics that have
viable alternatives.

Finalize and pilot EPR to enable industry cofunding of plastic-waste collection and recycling
systems.

Through EPR, ensure environmentally soundmanagement of SUPs and other plastics for
producer or manufacturer or importer.

Introduce buyback or deposit refund scheme.

Create waste exchange marketplace.

Formalize the plastic sorting and recycling
capacity.

Lead institutions and Agencies• Ministry of Environment, Forest andClimate Change• Ministry of Local Government, Rural
Development and Cooperatives• Ministry of Commerce• Ministry of Industries• Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock• Department of Environment• Department of Fisheries

Establish producer responsibility organizations.
Expand 3R strategy to include circular economy(e.g. via inclusion of minimum recycled content
for construction, textiles and packaging
materials).

Standardize labeling of plastic products andmaterials so that different types of plastic waste
can be identified in the waste stream and enable
more efficient plastic recycling.
Enforce fishing net bans to reduce marine waste.

Incentivize use of alternate materials for marine
operations (e.g., fishing gear).
Continue drives, campaigns and developmentof educational materials and curriculum forschools and colleges.

COMMUNITYPARTICIPATION, AWARENESS RAISING
AND TRAININGRESEARCH
AND INNOVATIONINFRASTRUCTURE &TECHNOLOGY

Demonstrate alternative packaging materials.

Continue to demonstrate best practices in designfor environment for products and packaging.

Establish product design labs to demonstrate
innovations for plastic waste reduction including
biodegradable.

Create system labelling for biodegradable plastic
as per guidelines.
Support industry-led phaseout of problematic
packaging materials.

Develop best practices for plastic waste reduction
in fast-moving consumer goods.

Relevant institutions and agencies• Bangladesh Standards and Testing
Institution• National Board of Revenue• Ministry of Agriculture• Ministry of Housing and Public Works• City corporations and Municipalities• Informal sector• Community-based organizations• Brand owners• Manufacturers• Technical extended professional
responsibility committee• Consumer Association of Bangladesh
Lead institutions and agencies• Ministry of Environment, Forest andClimate Change• Ministry of Commerce• Ministry of Industries• Ministry of Science and Technology• Department of Environment• Bangladesh Standards and Testing
Institution• Universities and research organizations

Host contests and challenges to support
innovations in plastic waste reduction.

Lead institutions and agencies• Ministry of Commerce• Ministry of Industries• Ministry of Science and Technology• Bangladesh Standards and Testing
Institution• Universities and research organizations

Continue drives, campaigns and developmentof educational materials and curriculum forschools and colleges.

Lead institutions and agencies• Ministry of Environment, Forest andClimate Change• Ministry of Local Government, Rural
Development and Cooperatives• Ministry of Science and Technology• Ministry of Education and relevant
government agencies and education
boards• Universities, schools and colleges• Media

Develop public-private partnership to sharetechnologies to minimize plastic in products andpackaging.
Build knowledge platform to map regional
plastic material flows.
Initiate awareness programs on reducing useof plastics across the country and encouragesustainable consumer behavior and choices.

Initiate awareness programs on 3Rs across thecountry and develop curriculum for schools andcolleges.

Train product manufacturers on design forenvironment practices.

Align community education efforts to reduce
waste and to maximize impact.

Support community-based reuse and repair
centres, enabling communities to avoid creating
waste.
Develop and launch a recyclability app to support
community participation and reduce contamination
rates in municipal solid waste.
Remove illegal hot spots through community
clean-ups.

71

Appendices - B
Maps showing location of hot spots
1. Map showing hot spots along the Four Major Rivers of Dhaka

Waste Concern Consultants

Note: DMDP =Dhaka Metropolitan Development Plan ; DNCC = Dhaka North City Corporation;
DSCC = Dhaka South City Corporation; WASA = . Water Supply and Sewerage Authority

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A M U LT I S E C T O R A L A C T I O N P L A N F O R B A N G L A D E S H

2. Map showing location of hot spots based on volume of accumulated waste along thebank of Buriganga River

Waste Concern Consultants

Note: DMDP = Dhaka Metropolitan Development Plan; and WASA = Water Supply and Sewerage Authority

3. Map showing location of hot spots based on volume of accumulated waste along thebank of Turag River

Waste Concern Consultants

Note: DMDP = Dhaka Metropolitan Development Plan; and WASA = Water Supply and Sewerage Authority

73

PLASTIC MANAGEMENT

4. Map showing location of hot spots based on volume of accumulated waste along thebank of Balu River

Waste Concern Consultants

Note: DMDP = Dhaka Metropolitan Development Plan; and WASA = Water Supply and Sewerage Authority

5. Map showing location of hot spots based on volume of accumulated waste along thebank of Shitalakshya River

Waste Concern Consultants

Note: DMDP = Dhaka Metropolitan Development Plan; and WASA = Water Supply and Sewerage Authority

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A M U LT I S E C T O R A L A C T I O N P L A N F O R B A N G L A D E S H

6. Map showing location of hot spots along the bank of Karnaphuli River

LegendHot spots
Karnaphuli River

Photos of illegal dumping points

Baseline Survey for the Material Flow Analysis for Waste Plastics and Hot spots Assessment forMarine Plastic Debris in Dhaka, Chittagong, Coxex Bazar, Bangladesh Supported by World Bank

Waste Concern Consultants

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PLASTIC MANAGEMENT

7. Map showing location of hot spots along the bank of Chaktai Khal

LegendSpot Condition
Permanent
Temporary
Chatai Khal

Photos of illegal dumping points

Baseline Survey for the Material Flow Analysis for Waste Plastics and Hot spots Assessment forMarine Plastic Debris in Dhaka, Chittagong, Coxex Bazar, Bangladesh Supported by World Bank
Waste Concern Consultants

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A M U LT I S E C T O R A L A C T I O N P L A N F O R B A N G L A D E S H

8. Map showing location of hot spots of Cox’s Bazar

Waste Concern Consultants

77Appendices - C
Stakeholder Consultations
Table C-1. People interviewed during the study
Manufacturers
Name of Manufacturing
Organization

Address

Plastic Sign Pvt Ltd.

Gognagar, Naranyanganj Sadar

Hamko Industries Ltd.

Noapara town, Fakirhat, Bagerhat

Akij Plastics Ltd.

Kumna, Chatak, Sunamganj

Fahim Accessories Ind.
Madina Packaging & Garments Acc. Ind. Narainchora, Sreemangal, Moulovibazar

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Nabila Enterprise

K.B. Abdur Sattar Road, Rahmatganj, Chattogram

Global Enterprise

Pahartoli, Hathazari, Chittagong

Al-Faruque Bags Ltd.

Shantohor Road, Narhotto, Kahaki, Bogura

Ifraz Packaging Ind. Ltd.

Singair Road, Hemayetpur, Savar

Nahid Plastics Ltd.

Dhurasram, Joydebpur, Gazipur

Wellpac Polymers Ltd.

Boktarkandi, Gojaria, Munshiganj

Sana Accessories

Keraniganj, Dhaka

M/S Rony Filament

Munshiganj

AKD BIAX

Trishal, Mymensingh

Racy Fashion Pack. Ind. Ltd.

Dhirasram Road, Gazipur

Suite- 603,604, Paltan Tower, 87 Purana Paltan, Dhaka

PLASTIC MANAGEMENT

Minutes of the Baseline Study and Action Plan
Meeting Held for Baseline Study and Action Plan on Plastic Waste Management with theTechnical Working Committee of the DoE on Proper Management of Plastics/Polythene
Products and Packaging and Plastic Users Institutions and Other Concerned Stakeholders
Date and time of the meeting: February 8, 2021, at 11.00 AM
More than forty people participated in the discussions
The meeting began with an introduction to the proposed road map and action plan. After
that, a television commercial on awareness of plastic was shown prepared by the DoE. The
DoE appreciated the initiative of the World Bank to assist the government and emphasizedharmonizing/aligning the proposed road map and action plan with the set targets to stop theuse of SUP according to the High Court’s order. The DoE presented a road map to implement
the ban of SUP in the coastal towns of Bangladesh and stressed the importance of the Draft
Urban Waste Management Handling Rules and the need for awareness and piloting ofrecycling facilities. DoE representatives mentioned that relevant government departments,
ministries, and agencies will submit a work plan on how they are going to stop the use of SUP.
Identification of the coastal area will be made to demarcate the areas where the ban of SUP
will be carried out. A technical committee will be established to handle the plastic and plastic
packaging issues. DoE representatives also mentioned giving a target for source segregation
to avoid plastic waste going to the landfill and water bodies.
A Bangladesh Plastic Goods Manufacturers & Exporters Association (BPGMEA) representative
said that buds, straws, stirrers, and SUP cups and plates could be stopped initially and notedthat the banned polythene bags are being produced/used/marketed by various illegal,
unlicensed organizations that are not on the list of the association. The chairman of themeeting commented that regular campaigns against the production and use of banned
polythene through mobile courts are continuing. He said polythene bags could not becompletely eradicated due to their easy availability, low cost, and lack of alternative uses.
Representatives of the Bangladesh Paribesh Andolon noted that in 2002, the production, use,
and marketing of polythene shopping bags were banned. However, polythene bags are stillwidely used, and the pollution caused by polythene products is increasing. He also mentioned
the COVID-19 crisis, where special care must be taken in waste-related problems.
A representative of Nestlé Bangladesh said that Nestlé has adopted a plan to reduce plastic
pollution by 50 percent by the year 2025 using corporate social responsibility (CSR). An
initiative had been taken to use warning instructions on their plastic packaging products. A
representative of Unilever Bangladesh said that a pilot project on plastic recycling had been
undertaken through Unilever’s organization in the NCC area. The meeting also discussed theformation of an EPR forum using the concept of CSR among the companies manufacturing
plastic products/packaging materials. Nonbranded items should be brought under monitoring.

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A M U LT I S E C T O R A L A C T I O N P L A N F O R B A N G L A D E S HBangladesh Petrochemical Company Limited’s representative emphasized quality controlof the recycled product. With the proper standard for recycled products, Bangladesh will beable to export quality recycled products and promote upcycling of recycled raw materials.
A representative from the Bangladesh Standards and Testing Institution commented thatrecently it had installed equipment to measure the tolerable limit and migration test standard
for plastic products and packaging.
The discussions pointed toward prevention and control of plastic waste and otherwaste pollution on St. Martin’s Island to raise awareness in tourist spots, hospitals, fastfood joints, the aviation sector, and so forth. Arrangements were made to compress
the collected plastic waste on St. Martin’s Island and send it to the recycling industry
in Teknaf, Cox’s Bazar, and Chittagong. In addition to creating public awareness, thediscussions emphasized the importance of separate bins for household waste disposal
and setting up proper dumping points for waste management through city corporations
and municipalities.
These are the key recommendations from the discussions:1.

In order to reduce the use of plastic packaging, it is recommended to introduce warnings
on the plastic packaging or bottles as guidelines for public awareness and environmental
management.

2.

It was requested during the meeting that plastic/polythene products and packaging
manufacturers/importers and users should promote antiplastic-pollution-related TVC as
a part of CSR with their own initiatives to raise public awareness.

3.

Plastic manufacturers/users are requested to undertake pilot EPR initiatives using the 3R
concept with their own initiatives.

4.

During the meeting, it was advised to co-opt a director-level officer from Bangladesh
Scouts in the technical working committee on proper management of plastic/polythene
products and packaging.

5.

Biodegradable plastic alternatives to plastic/polythene products and packaging products
should be promoted. Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and Industries
requested to take the initiative. In this case, the Finance Department/National Board of
Revenue is requested to give incentives from government to manufacturers.

6.

Various organizations are producing/using/marketing polythene bags without clearance
from the proper authority. The BPGMEA can take legal action, however it needs to beprovided assistance by the ministry.

7.

Requests are made that the MoEFCC create a plastic advisory committee where brandmembers will be included.

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Appendices - D
Policies related to plastic management
TABLE D-1: Waste related policy and legislations in Bangladesh
Policy, Act, Rule, Strategy

Year

Description

National Policy for Water
Supply and Sanitation

1998

The government shall maximize adoption of waste recycling measures and use
organic waste materials for compost and biogas production.

Urban Management Policy
Statement

1998

Recommends privatization of services to municipalities, prioritizes facilities forslum dwellers (including water supply, sanitation, and solid waste disposal).

Bangladesh Environment
Conservation Act

1995

Replaced the Environmental Pollution Control Ordinance, 1977; provides
for environmental conservation, environmental quality and control, andmitigation of pollution; although it does not include specific provisions on solid
waste management, it authorizes the director general of the Department ofEnvironment to take necessary measures for control, abatement, and mitigation ofenvironmental pollution.

National Environment Policy

1992

Restricts disposal of municipal, industrial, and agricultural waste in water bodies(e.g., rivers, ponds, drains) and discourages open truck transportation of waste
during the day.

Bangladesh Standards andTesting Institution Ordinance

1985

Adopts standards related to materials, commodities, and products and provisionof their compliance; sets standards regarding whether a product is suitable for
local consumption, import, and export and awards the Bangladesh Standards andTesting Institution seal to products conforming to such standards.

Private Sector Housing
Development Guideline

2004

Recommends private sector investment in waste management sector (all types ofwaste).

Industrial Policy

2005

Provides all necessary assistance for producing an environmentally friendly
product, with the objective of creating a pollution-free environment in theindustrial sector; assists with waste management to minimize waste, waste
removal, and production of pollution-free goods.
Environmental pollution control: the 1995 Environmental Protection Act and otherrelated legislation have been gradually implemented to control environmental
pollution; industries that pollute and endanger public health must develop
pollution control measures; industrial enterprises will be encouraged to obtain
ISO14000 certificates.

Private Sector Housing
Development Guideline

2005

Recommends space in new housing areas for waste recycling, especiallycomposting and biogas generation.

Dhaka Environment
Management Plan

2005

Promotes recycling, discourages use of landfills, and promotes environmental
management system (EMS) in industry.

National Clean Development
Mechanism Strategy
Draft National Urban Policy

2005

Harnesses carbon financing to promote pro-poor Clean Development Mechanism
projects in the waste sector.
Covers all aspects of land and housing in urban areas; emphasizes the Clean
Development Mechanism and recycling.

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2006

A M U LT I S E C T O R A L A C T I O N P L A N F O R B A N G L A D E S H

Policy, Act, Rule, Strategy

Year

Biomedical Waste
Management Rules
National Renewable Energy
Policy2008

Bangladesh Climate Change
Strategy and Action Plan

2009

Local Government (City
Corporation) Act

2009

Jute Packaging Act

2017

2008

Description
Recommends source separation of hospital waste and separate collection,transportation, treatment, and disposal of all hospital and clinical waste.
Promotes production of biogas and other green energy from waste and provides
incentives for development of the Clean Development Mechanism to promote
green energy projects.
Carbon mitigation and low-carbon development are key pillars of this strategy;
the waste sector has been considered a potential contributor to achieving
Bangladesh’s mitigation objectives.
City corporations are under the purview of this act; there is a need to harmonize
this act with the E-Waste Rules and Urban Solid Management Handling Rules toaddress the issues related to source segregation of plastic, collection, labelling,transportation, disposal, and recycling.
Requires that all commodities be packaged in jute bags; violators face a maximum
one year in jail, a BDT 50,000 fine, or both for using nonbiodegradable synthetics
for packaging; originally mandated that six agricultural commodities—paddy,
rice, wheat, maize, sugar, fertilizer—have jute packaging and later added 11 morecommodities—ginger, garlic, onion, potato, fish feed, poultry feed, flour, chilies,
pulse, coriander, and rice bran.
Note: Specific plastic packaging rules are needed for Bangladesh to address theoverall packaging waste.

National Water and Sanitation
Strategy
Import policy
Electrical and Electronic
Waste (Management andHandling) Rules

2014
2015–
2018
2017

National Environment Policy

2018

Public-private partnership(PPP) regulatory framework

2019

Emphasizes resource recovery and recycling (instead of disposal) to improve urban
sanitation.
Prohibits importation of waste into Bangladesh.
Mandates extended producer responsibility for manufacturers and assemblers,with five-year e-waste collection targets; these rules are applicable to all
producers, traders, shopkeepers, stores, collectors, transporters, repairers,
collection centers, crushers, grinders, refurbishers, recyclers, auction dealers,
exporters, distributors, and large users involved in production, marketing,purchase, sale, or distribution of electrical and electronic products.
Refines the 1992 Environment Policy to ensure sustainable development andensure that the protection and improvement of environment, improvement of
biodiversity is adopted in the Constitution of Bangladesh as the fundamental
principles of state policy, in case of environmental degradation, disasters, theimpact of climate change, and limitations of natural resources; it consists of two
main parts: environmental policies for 24 sectors or areas and implementationplans and activities.
Provides guidelines on how to implement PPP projects and the roles andresponsibilities of various line ministries.
Note: PPPs will help develop innovative technologies and skilled manpower topromote investments in the recycling of plastic.

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PLASTIC MANAGEMENTTABLE D-2: Plan Developed by DoE for SUP management
Content

First Year (2021)
January – June

Single-use
plastic (SUP)
cups, glasses,
plates, andutensils

Second Year (2022)

July –
DecemberJanuary – June

July – December

January –June

July –
December
District nearbeaches

Passenger andcargo ships

Beaches

Hotels, motels,
restaurants nearbeachesMarkets,
Entire countybus stands,
near beaches
declared public
places, county
governments,
semigovernment
offices, educational
institutions nearbeaches

Solid waste rulepreparation

Brand owneror supply
chain andits traders
and wastemanagers
acceptingthe views ofpolicy makers

Prepareextendedproducer
responsibility
guidelines

Establish
environmentallyfriendly waste
collection andwaste disposal
facilities in coastal
areas (pilot
project can be
implemented in
Cox’s Bazar andPatuakhali)

Straws,polystyrene
foam foodpackages, coffee
stirrers
Lollipop
wrappers,sachets,
cigarette filters,
cotton swabs,
surgical gloves,and masks
Nonrecyclable,
nonbiodegradable
items (multilayer
packaging)Third Year (2023)

Provide waste
collection
and waste
disposaltraining incoastal areas

Implement
extendedproducer
responsibility
pilot project incoastal areas

TABLE D-3: Plan Developed by DoE for plastic management
Considerations

Functions

Administrative
matters

Provide requests to controlling departments to prevent use of
SUP in passenger vessels
Issue semi-official letter to deputy commissioners to prevent
use of SUP in coastal areas
Exchange views with concerned stakeholders, including hotel
and restaurant owners in coastal districts and divisions
Place publicity in print and electronic media (televisioncommercial preparation)
Place public notices in newspapers
Encourage children to prevent plastic contamination throughgreen clubs and nature clubs in coastal schools
Share information through religious institutions

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Short
Term
(1–6
mos.)

Medium
Term
(6–12
mos.)

Long
Term
(13–18mos.)

Institution
in Charge

A M U LT I S E C T O R A L A C T I O N P L A N F O R B A N G L A D E S HConsiderations

Policy making

Existing
production andsupply system

User Matters

Functions

Short
Term
(1–6
mos.)

Medium
Term
(6–12
mos.)

Long
Term
(13–18mos.)

Institution
in Charge

Conduct SUP material flow analysis and prepare database
Assess SUP status (use and disposal) in coastal areas
Demarcate coastal areas to control use of SUP
Determine category of SUP and formulate year- and itembased phase-out plans in coastal areas
Develop regulatory framework (prepare rules and statutory
regulatory order)
Periodically declare SUP-free areas (e.g., boats, beaches, beachadjacent hotels and motels, coastal district government offices,public transport, public places)
Prepare guidelines for phase-out of SUP without alternatives(e.g., surgical gloves, masks)
Form national coordination committees at field and centrallevels to coordinate implementation
In case of emergency, collect SUP in coastal areas after
establishing separate environmental disposal system
Coordinate with pilot project preparation and funding
agencies
Existing production and supply system
Provide interest-free investments, tax rebates, and incentives togradually motivate SUP manufacturing companies to produce
environmentally friendly alternatives (implementation of yearbased commitments)
Provide technical assistance to SUP manufacturing companies
to help them adapt to environmentally friendly alternative
production
Provide compensation through special endowment fund to coverbusiness losses due to alternative production or declaration of
SUP-free zone
Market development of eco-friendly alternatives produced by SUP
manufacturers (e.g., purchased by government agencies)
Increase taxes to discourage imports of raw materials or finishedgoods to prevent production and use of SUP
Encourage production of environmentally friendly alternatives, lift
duty on imports of raw materials and equipment, tax rebates
Provide one-time interest-free loans to companies affiliatedwith the supply chain and registered by the Department ofEnvironment or approved by the plastic association to stop
marketing SUP
Raise public awareness, produce media and publicity campaigns
Impose fines, promote community patrolling to prevent use of
SUP
Promote mobile court against SUP users prohibited by rules
Officially recognize SUPs, avoiding hotels, motels, restaurants,
and offices and giving priority to various government functions

Source: DoE 2021.
Note: The Department of Environment prepared this work plan in response to the High Court’s 2021 directive.

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