B'desh govt asked to ban throwaway plastic products

A Bangladesh court on Tuesday asked the government to ban single-use plastic products across the country within the next one year.

The High Court bench comprising Justice Moyeenul Islam Chowdhury and Justice Khandaker Diliruzzaman came up with the orderfollowing a writ petition jointly filed by 11 rights organizations, including Bangladesh Environmental Lawyers Association (BELA), reports Xinhua news agency.

The court also ordered the concerned authorities to strictly enforce ban on polythene use across the country with proper monitoring.

Advocate Syed Ahmed Kabir who appeared for the writ petitioners during the hearing, said polythene use was the total violation of Bangladesh Environment Conservation Act as it was banned in 2002.

But he said the use of plastic products like drinking straws, cotton buds, food packaging, food containers, bottles, plates, plastic cutlery and plastic bags was on the rise in the country.

The plastic waste carried by the country's 54 rivers and generated in coastal regions were dumped into the Bay of Bengal, posing threat to marine resources and biodiversity, Kabir said, so 11 rights organizations submitted the writ petition before the High Court in this regard on December 17, 2019.

The court also directed the authorities concerned to inform it within January 5, 2021 about what actions are taken to stop plastic use.IANS