Cycle of waste

The dumping of plastic waste in landfills and water bodies has reached gargantuan proportions in the country, posing a threat to natural resources. The non-biodegradable material is entering the food chain. As they never dissolve, the plastic waste destroys the regenerative qualities of the soil. Over time, it breaks down into microplastic and is released into the environment. According to a World Bank report released in December 2021, the annual per capita consumption of plastic in Bangladesh is 9kg and the figure is 100 kg in Europe. But Bangladesh is one of the worst affected due to plastic pollution largely because of the mismanagement of waste. As pictured here, people of lower income groups collect plastic from an expanse of waste in landfills in Lalbagh, Kamrangirchar and Chawk Bazar in Old Dhaka. Then, private factories arrange for the plastic waste to be collected and processed into granules. This process is reliant on private organisations and daily wage earners, who again collect the processed material and spread them out to dry on the bank of the Buriganga.

Photo: Anisur Rahman