Polythene ban: A welcome move but what about alternatives?
The interim government has taken a hard line against the use of polythene. But what’s the alternative to polythene?
In 2002, Bangladesh became the first country in the world to implement a ban on thin plastic bags. However, the government failed to implement the law effectively on the ground level, despite some early success, and the use has only soared in recent years.
Today, annual per capita plastic consumption in Dhaka alone stands at a staggering 22.25 kg, estimates the World Bank. In terms of polythene bags, TBS reported last year that more than 2.5 crore single-use bags are thrown away in the capital every day.
After 22 years, the ban has come back. The interim government has now taken a hard line against the use of polythene. Starting with supershops last month, the ban has now been extended to local markets.
In the past week, the Department of Environment seized over 12 tons of polythene. Through 67 mobile court drives, fines amounting to Tk6,13,700 were imposed on 142 shops and establishments.
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However, visiting several local shops and markets, we found people still using polythenes. "How are we supposed to pack items for customers? If we use cloth or jute bags for meat, they get stained with blood. What's the alternative?," questioned Muhammad Ashraf, a butcher at the Taltola market in Agargaon.
That's the big question now: What's the alternative?
The government is allocating Tk100 crore to our project in January 2025. With this, we hope to produce 7 to 8 tons daily.
Syeda Rizwana Hasan, the advisor for ministries of environment, forest, and climate change, and water resources, said that jute, cloth, and paper bags are our alternatives right now.
In superstores, the response has been positive so far; though people have to buy the bag with Tk15 to 20, something they are not used to. For local markets, Rizwana said at a press conference, "There's no need to think about new alternatives. We'll shop the same way our forefathers did."
But the challenge lies there. In reality, plastics and polythenes have been so integrated in our daily lives that it's difficult to shift without proper guidelines and ready alternatives in hand.
"Making a change in supply without adjusting the demand causes scarcity and disruption in the market. We can't restrict the use of polythene through direct market intervention like this— it was proven in 2002," Dr Ahmad Kamruzzaman Majumder, Joint Secretary of Bangladesh Poribesh Andolon (BAPA), told The Business Standard.
However, advisor Rizwana Hasan believes that necessity is the mother of invention. She expects alternatives to emerge due to the scarcity of polythene, and that both markets and people will gradually but surely adapt.
"Interestingly, polythene itself came as an alternative. Due to some of its unique characteristics, it made its place. It's easy to produce, available at a very low or almost free of cost, and easy to carry. The alternative to polythene must also have these same characteristics. Otherwise, it won't work," Dr Majumder added.
The Sonali bag, locally made from biodegradable jute, showed potential to be an alternative. It's biodegradable, recyclable, and even stronger than polythene bags.
In 2018, Bangladesh Jute Mills Corporation (BJMC) started a pilot project to market the Sonali bag. Bangladeshi scientist Mubarak Ahmed Khan made national and international headlines for his groundbreaking innovation.
The previous Awami League government appreciated his innovation but couldn't fully commercialise it or strictly ban polythene. As a result, the Sonali bag never reached its full potential.
The interim government has finally provided a glimmer of hope. "The government is allocating Tk100 crore to our project in January 2025. With this, we hope to produce 7 to 8 tons daily," the scientist confirmed to TBS.
But the production cost of Sonali bags is still nearly twice the cost of regular polythene bags. He is hopeful that the price will fall significantly once commercial production begins.
"We are ready to transfer the technology if any private company shows interest, anytime," he added.
The biggest challenge in phasing out polythene is its low cost. To address this, we need to reduce the prices of alternative products and at the same time increase the price of plastic to discourage its use. An economic approach to this would be to impose a high tax.
BAPA's Dr Majumder believes 'cloth bags' can be the best alternative. He suggested that the interim government should sit with the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) and instruct them to make cloth bags available in the market.
"When it comes to alternatives, we only talk about jute. Why don't we think of cloth bags? BGMEA has a total of 224 LEED-certified green factories. We are a global leader in environment-friendly textile manufacturing. It's both ironic and unacceptable that we can't find an alternative to polythene," he highlighted.
For liquid products, he suggests considering biodegradable plastic bags. Advisor Rizwana said that bioplastics are also one kind of plastic. They are not fully environment-friendly, and she plans to address this issue separately soon.
Dr Md Mostafizur Rahman, a professor in the Department of Environmental Sciences at Jahangirnagar University, said "I fear a sudden ban like this would fail again. It seems like an impulsive decision. The people are not ready for this. The government could have set a timeline for the ban and worked on preparing alternatives for the market in the meantime."
However, advisor Rizwana views it just as a reinforcement of the law 'already existing' since 2002. The law gained some momentum at that time and reduced plastic use to some extent. But it lost track eventually. After a long gap, her ministry is simply picking up where it left off.
This is also why— she says— the ban covers only polythene bags and not all types of plastics for now. She hinted that the next target would be single-use plastics.
Until alternatives are readily available in the market, the Environment Ministry should take a more flexible approach rather than imposing strict penalties in markets. More emphasis needs to be placed on the production level rather than direct market monitoring.
The 2002 Environment Conservation Act already has very strict penalties. Section 15 of the law states that anyone involved in the production, import, or marketing of polythene materials will face up to 10 years of imprisonment or a fine of up to Tk10 lakh.
The immediate priority should be to raise awareness among both buyers and sellers about the harmful effects of plastic and potential of its alternatives. In this regard, Rizwana mentioned that they will involve students to volunteer in awareness campaigns at shopping malls and local markets.
