Bangladesh court asks gov't to ban throwaway plastic products

Source: Xinhua| 2020-01-07 17:00:15|Editor: xuxin
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BANGLADESH-DHAKA-PLASTICS-WASTE-PROCESS

Women process plastic waste at a dumping site in Dhaka, Bangladesh on Jan. 8, 2020. A High Court Division bench in Bangladesh has directed the authorities concerned to ban single-use plastic products in coastal areas and hotels, motels and restaurants across the country within the next one year. (Str/Xinhua)

DHAKA, Jan. 7 (Xinhua) -- A High Court Division bench in Bangladesh has directed the authorities concerned to ban single-use plastic products in coastal areas and hotels, motels and restaurants 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 order Monday following a writ petition jointly filed by 11 rights organizations, including Bangladesh Environmental Lawyers Association (BELA), national news agency BSS reported.

The court also ordered the authorities concerned 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 is the total violation of Bangladesh Environment Conservation Act as polythene 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, much to pollute the environment.

The plastic wastes 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 Dec. 17, 2019.

He said following the hearing of the writ, the court issued a rule asking the authorities concerned to explain why their inactiveness in imposing restriction on plastic product use would not be declared illegal.

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

The court made the Industries Secretary, the Secretary of Bangladesh Water Development Board, the Secretary of Civil Aviation and Tourism Ministry, the chairman of Bangladesh Plastic Products Producers and Exporters Association and three others as respondents, and asked them to submit a report in this regard.

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