Authorities must come up to limit plastic use by recycling the products

BANGLADESH needs to establish the required infrastructure to efficiently collect, store, and recycle plastic products in order to achieve circularity in the industry.

Numerous economies are working towards circularity in the plastics industry so that products made from the synthetic materials can be reused, recycled, or refurbished, thereby ensuring lower pollution.

As such, improving waste management while also increasing consumer awareness of the post-use environmental impact of plastics could help bring the industry into a circular model.

Recycling in plastic manufacturing is the process of transforming used plastic products and materials into new products.

The recycling of plastic is an important practice for promoting sustainability, reducing waste, and conserving natural resources.

Plastic is a versatile and useful material, but its durability and low biodegradability have contributed to a growing environmental problem.

According to the United Nations, only 9 per cent of the 9 billion tons of plastic waste generated since the 1950s has been recycled.

The remaining plastic waste ends up in landfills, oceans, and other natural environments, where it can take hundreds of years to degrade.

Bangladesh’s annual per capita plastic consumption in urban areas rose from 3 kilograms (kgs) in 2005 to 9 kgs in 2020.

The rate is particularly high in Dhaka, where each individual consumes roughly 24 kgs of plastic materials each year.

And although plastic products have their benefits, the mismanagement of plastic waste is increasing environmental pollution.

The domestic market for plastics was worth $4 billion in fiscal 2022-23, registering growth of about 20 per cent year-on-year.

Recycling has become an increasingly important topic in the plastic manufacturing industry in recent years.

With the growing concern about the environmental impact of plastic waste, there has been a push to increase the amount of recycled plastic used in the production process.

The authorities concerned should come up with ways to make the country’s plastic use limited by recycling plastic products.