Authorities need to advance solid waste management

A shockingly small amount of the solid waste, produced by cities and municipalities across the country, is being recycled.

A Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS) survey has reported that lack of infrastructure, public awareness, poor budgetary allocations, and the absence of proper waste management and monitoring systems are responsible for the situation.

Only 3.15 per cent of the 80 lakh tonnes of solid waste the municipalities produced in the 2021 fiscal year were recycled.

The recycling rate was 3.04 per cent in the fiscal year 2019 and 3.05 per cent in 2020. It said 4.05 per cent of 39 lakh tonnes were recycled in the six city corporation areas in fiscal year 2021.

Nationwide, only 15.59 per cent of the solid waste was recycled in 2021. Poor public awareness, inadequate landfills and budget allocation are the main obstacles to quality waste management.

A lack of infrastructure and inefficiency in proper waste management were also cited as challenges that put public health at risks. Worryingly, only 1.04 per cent, 1.28 per cent, and 1.36 per cent of the hazardous solid waste generated nationwide between 2019 and 2021 fiscal years were treated.

The report pointed out that due to too few sanitary landfills, hazardous waste is ending up in non-sanitary landfills, increasing the chances of contamination that can lead to severe health and environmental problems. The study said that the municipalities need to create e-waste management plants and ensure e-waste collection and disposal.

Waste management guidelines have been prepared recently where the responsibilities of every individual have been mentioned. The supervision for implementing the guidelines is absent and this monitoring mechanism by the city corporation or the department of environment has not been prepared. This results in people not dumping waste via proper channels.

In other countries, a huge amount of penalty is imposed if the rules are violated, which helps ensure proper waste management. In the country, those who are responsible for enforcing rules and formulating laws are the top law violators and are guilty of the crime.