banning plastic bag & bound shahriar july-2016

- S h a h r i a r H o s s a i n , P h . D .

Spotlight of the Banning Plastic Bag in Bangladesh and Bound...........

ESDO’s & Plastic Campaign

ESDO was officially formed in June 6, 1990 caring the issue of anti plastic shopping bag campaign

We are an independent and non-profit organization

Dedicated to environmental justice and governance

Focused to conservation and human development

ESDO have been persuading national policy formulation /change throughout the course of its history

2

Copyright © Shahriar Hossain, Ph.D. 2016, Bangladesh

The mission of ESDO is to promote and encourage an environmental movement through a participatory democratic framework involving diverse social groups, and to assist them with ideas, information, and leadership for toxic free, safe and sustainable environment.

ESDO has helped more than 350,000 people in three communities to achieve a sustainable and self-reliant lifestyle, living in harmony with their immediate environment

ESDO’s Mission 3


Steps to Achieving Our Goals

1. Research and documentation2. Awareness raising and advocacy3. Community education4. Skills development - theoretical

and practical activities5. Policy intervention 6. Follow-up and monitoring

4


The Anti Plastic Bag Campaign and Policy Advocacy………..

In 1990, ESDO organised a nation-wide anti-polythene campaign, which involved the media and support by numerous organisations and public leaders.

In 1999, the Ministry of Environment and Forest recognised the anti-polythene campaign as the most important national movement in Bangladesh.

In 2000, the Ministry of Environment and Forest selected ESDO as the principle task force representative in pushing a complete ban of polythene bags.

ESDO received world-wide recognition for the commitment and success of the campaign

5


1990-91

Start study and survey on “polythene shopping bag use in Bangladesh”

Start door to door campaign/ counseling and motivation

Organized community groups interventions

Initiate advocacy and mass awareness campaign

6


1992

A bored based anti polythene shopping bag begin through door-to-door campaign with small group meetings and rally.

7Copyright © Shahriar Hossain, Ph.D. 2016, Bangladesh

1996

A new government gives ESDO an opportunity to boost their public awareness campaign on the impacts of polythene bags in attempt to create pressure for policy change.

8


1998

ESDO organised the first alternative bag exhibition part of it’s anti polythene bag campaign

9


2001

World Bank, UNDP, Green Peace International and Friends of the Earth recognized ESDO as a lead organization for Global anti plastic / anti poly bag campaigner.

10


2002Success justified as

national ban on the use, distribution, sale and manufacture of plastic shopping bags imposed

Government notification on banning Plastic shopping bag from the Ministry of Environment and Forest. On 16 April, 2002.

11


Environment Minister seized Plastic shopping bags worth of BDT 1 million on 23

December, 2002 12


Regulation of plastic shopping bags in Bangladesh

Under the Environment Conservation Act of 1995, the law of section 1 under the revised act, Rule 6ka of Clause-5 under Section-9, states a restriction has been imposed in the production and uses of polythene shopping bags. The rule states that the production and sale of any kind of environmentally harmful products are restricted. If it is proven that any kind of plastic bags or products made of polyethylene or poly-propylene is detrimental to the environment then the government can control and ban the use of these products to a selected area or all over the country. According to rule 6ka, the penalty and punishment are as follows;

For the production, import and marketing – 10 years sentence of vigorous prison, or a 1 million taka fine, or both punishments.

For the sale, exhibition for sale, storing, distribution, transportation or use for commercial purposes – 6 months sentence of vigorous prison or 10 thousand taka fine, or both punishments.

For caring as shopping purpose – 6 months sentence of vigorous prison or 500 taka fine, or both punishments.

13


World Scenario Today

We use 5 trillion plastic bags... per year! That’s 160,000 a second! And over 700 a year for every single person on the planet. We can do better than that. See plastic bags used per year in real time below.

Top 5 facts about plastic bags1. 160,000 plastic bags a secondThis year 5 trillion plastic bags will be consumed.

That’s 160,000 a second! Put one after another they would go around the world 7 times every hour and cover an area twice the size of France.

14


1.a. Over 4.9 trillion plastic bags are used every year worldwide (Earth Policy Institute). Consider China, a country of 2.8 billion, which consumes 3 billion plastic bags daily, according to China Trade News.

2. Most bags are simply thrown outLess than 1 percent are recycled. They are most

often made from Polyethylene that takes centuries to degrade. Each ton of recycled plastic bags saves the energy equivalent of 11 barrels of oil.

2.a About 2 million plastic bags are used every minute around the world (Earth Policy Institute).

World Scenario Today15


3. What happens to the plastic bags?In total, we use 100 million tons of plastic every year.

Some 10-15 percent of this plastic end up in the oceans - and not without consequences…

3.a Americans use and throw away 100 billion plastic bags every year, which requires 12 million barrels of oil per year to manufacture. (The Wall Street Journal).

3.b Approximately 32 million tons of plastic waste are generated annually, representing 12.7% of total municipal solid waste (Environmental Protection Agency).



4. The plastic soupIn the ocean, the plastic is broken down to tiny

pieces. These pieces are eaten by fish and cannot be digested. Consequently the plastic builds up and enter into the food chain.

5. Hundreds of species are affectedSeabirds, turtles, seals, sea lions, whales and fish

eat the plastics. The death of one sperm whale found in California (USA) in 2008 was caused by 22.2 kilos of plastic that the whale had eaten. Check out the video on plastic bags and their way to the 'Pacific garbage patch'.



WHY ARE PLASTIC BAGS BAD?

A single plastic bag can take up 500 years or more to degrade (Measuring biodegradability, ScienceLearn.org).

In good circumstances, high-density polyethylene will take more than 20 years to degrade. In less ideal circumstances (landfills or as general refuse), a bag will take more than 500 years to degrade (ScienceLearn.org).

18


PLASTIC BAGS' IMPACT ON THE ENVIRONMENT

When plastics break down, they don't biodegrade; they photodegrade. This means the materials break down to smaller fragments which readily soak up toxins. They then contaminate soil, waterways, and animals upon digestion (Earth911).

10% of the plastic produced every year worldwide winds up in the ocean. 70% of which finds its way to the ocean floor, where it will likely never degrade (United Nations).

• It can take anything between 20-1000 years for a plastic bag to break up. I mean break up as they break up into smaller pieces. They don’t break down and those that do, break down into polymers and toxic chemicals.

19


How Plastic bags/plastic Harm Ocean

Plastic bags tend to disrupt the environment in a serious way. They get into soil and slowly release toxic chemicals. They eventually break down into the soil, with the unfortunate consequence being that animals eat them and often choke and die.

If you joined them end on end they would circumnavigate the globe 4,200 times. 100,000 marine creatures a year die from plastic entanglement and these are the ones found.

Approximately 1 million sea birds also die from plastic.

A plastic bag can kill numerous animals because they take so long to disintegrate.

An animal that dies from the bag will decompose and the bag will be released, another animal could harmlessly fall victim and once again eat the same bag.

The floods in Bangladesh in 1988 & 1998 were made more severe because plastic bags clogged drains. The government has now banned plastic bags.

In Ireland they introduced a 15c plastic bag tax and reduced their usage by 90% in one year. It is now 22 cents.

20


Plastic debris in the Ocean

It is now believed that there are 5.25 trillion pieces of plastic debris in the ocean. Of that mass, 269,000 tons float on the surface, while some four billion plastic microfibers per square kilometer litter the deep sea.

21


Protect Guangzhou from Plastic Pollution

China produces about a third of plastic waste polluting the world’s oceans, says report

22


What to do!

Mass public awareness and media campaign

Reduce the productionUse reusable bags Promote

environmentally alternatives Impose high tax on

plastic/ plastic bagGo for legislation to

ban

23


Join us, support us….

Be part of our initiatives

for plastic free and habitable

“Planet Earth”

24
