Environment, Forest and Climate Change Minister Saber Hossain Chowdhury today said the use of harmful plastic and polythene products should be prevented in any way to live in a healthy environment.
“Eco-friendly jute bags should be used instead of polythene bags,” he told an Eid gift distribution ceremony in the capital.
Speaking as the chief guest, Saber said the government has identified the sources of air pollution.
“If air pollution is checked collectively, there will be some improvement next year,” he said.
The Eid gift distribution programme was arranged at Prince Garden Construction Ground, East Basabo, to distribute Sari and Lungi among about 5000 marginal people on the occasion of the Eid-ul-Fitr.
Thanking the organisers of the Eid gift distribution ceremony in an environmentally friendly manner, the environment minister said the Bangladesh Awami League government always stands by the people.
Terming the Eid-ul-Fitr a joyous festival, he said the government is making all efforts to control the price of goods.
Saber urged the local AL leaders and activists to stand by the commoners instead of organising Iftar parties as per the instructions of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.
Polyethylene is by far the most common type of consumer plastic, and is used in many everyday materials. It is a thermoplastic product, meaning that it can be melted into a liquid and then cooled back into a solid, many times over. Different processing conditions give rise to different grades of polyethylene that can be used for very different purposes—from flexible cling wrap on the one end of the spectrum, to hard bollard post covers on the other.
One of the most attractive properties of polyethylene is its durability. It is resistant to fading and chipping, while also being impervious to many chemical substances, such as acids and caustic solutions. Polyethylene is an excellent electrical insulator. It retains its properties in extremely cold conditions, but can be melted at high temperatures.
People are using polythene specially single-use plastics so often and disposing it everywhere in a way that it becomes one of the major causes of drainage blockage in city area. In 2010, the Government of Bangladesh took initiative to decrease the use of plastics through enacting ‘Mandatory Jute Packaging Act, 2010’. This Act emphasises on the compulsory use of jute packaging instead of plastic bag. The Act provides penalty for maximum 1-year imprisonment or fine 50,000 taka or both for using any non–biodegradable synthetics for packaging.
