Banning plastic bag & bound shahriar july-2016

- Shahriar Hossain, Ph.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 documentation
2. Awareness raising and advocacy
3. Community education
4. Skills development - theoretical
and practical activities
5. 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

2002
 Success 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.
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Environment Minister seized Plastic shopping bags
worth of BDT 1 million on 23 December, 2002
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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 bags
1. 160,000 plastic bags a second
 This 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.
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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 out
 Less 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).
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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).
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4. The plastic soup
 In 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 affected
 Seabirds, 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'.
17

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).
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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.
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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
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What to do!
 Mass public awareness and
media campaign
 Reduce the production
 Use reusable bags
 Promote environmentally
alternatives
 Impose high tax on plastic/
plastic bag
 Go for legislation to ban
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Join us, support us….
Be part of our
initiatives
for plastic free
and habitable
“Planet Earth”
24

Banning plastic bag & bound shahriar july-2016

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