photo: Messenger
Bidyanondo Foundation, a voluntary organization in collaboration with Chattogram City Corporation, has launched an innovative pilot project where essential markets will be available in exchange for plastic.
In this one-year project consisting of two organizations, anyone who submits discarded plastic will get the opportunity to market.
Chattogram City Corporation (CCC) Mayor Dr. Shahadat Hossain inaugurated the "Plastic for Market" project at Bakalia Stadium in the city on Monday.
This project, two permanent stores will be opened in Patenga and Halishahar, where anyone who deposits discarded plastic will have the opportunity to market at a low price. Besides, there will be 50 mobile market camps, where more than 500 families will be able to buy daily necessities by depositing plastic. The project aims to recycle 200,000 kg of discarded plastic. In the market, where the price of discarded plastic is Tk 20-25 per kg, Bidyanondo is paying up to Tk 50-80 in this project.
In our store, if you deposit 1 kg of plastic, you get 6 eggs, and if you deposit 4 kg of plastic, you get 1 liter of oil, 1 chicken or fish. There are 22 types of daily necessities including educational materials, clothes, sanitary pads in this super shop. People can choose the products according to their needs.
CCC mayor Dr. Shahadat Hossain said, I want to build a pollution-free Chattogram polythene-plastic pollution. Today's innovative project will play a helpful role in realizing this goal.
He also said, It is our moral responsibility as the best creatures of creation to introduce intelligence in solving any problem. The demand of time is to protect the lifestream of this riverine country and to protect the endangered animals of plastic pollution. In addition to taking awareness and effective steps to keep this world pollution free and livable, joint efforts of all are needed. This project will play an important role in protecting Chattogram from plastic pollution.
Jamal Uddin, board member of Bidyanondo, said the level of plastic pollution is so widespread that it is impossible for the government to prevent it alone. Massive public awareness and public involvement is needed to reduce this pollution. So, we are opening plastic exchange stores across the country to engage people.
We have informed the concerned ministry of the government about this. Hopefully, through this initiative, we will be able to give people an idea about the dangers of plastic and reduce the huge expenditure of the government on plastic pollution and plastic waste management, through our voluntary work.
According to a recent CUET study, the people of Chattogram city produce 3,000 metric tons of waste every day, of which 250 tonnes (9 percent) is plastic and polythene waste. Of this, about 150 metric tons of waste goes into canals and drains every day.
According to a CPD study, among the coastal rivers of the country, the highest plastic waste is deposited in the Karnaphuli River in Chattogram, which is very worrying for Chattogram city.
On the inaugural day, more than 500 local marginalized families got the opportunity to exchange plastic for the market. In exchange for plastic, it was possible to collect 5 metric tons of discarded plastic on the first day.
Messenger/Anowar/Tushar
