Threats to a plastic society

Since the early 1990s, when Bangladesh entered a new era of market economy, growing business activities and consumer shopping behaviour stirred up a revolution of plastic goods and synthetic bags in particular.  Millions of plastic bags were used every day in the name of convenience, which consequently damaged the environment indiscriminately.  We embraced a new momentum of growth paying almost no attention to the killer of actual growth. We often fail to realise that plastic bags are simply the tip of the iceberg and thus succumb to their mega penetration in all spheres of activities, in a way celebrating the rise of a plastic society. But the goal of sustainable growth will soon evaporate if the plastic revolution goes unchecked. 

When non-resident Bangladeshis visit the country, they can easily notice the changes Bangladesh has embraced since liberalisation over the years. Being a migrant who lived overseas for years, I cannot believe my eyes when I see how plastic bags have spread all over the country, even in a small village of Nalitabari. When I dig the garden bed, I see the immortal devils peeping through the soil – as if I was engaged in an archaeological excavation. Do we actually understand how these plastic bags damage the quality of the soil and the prospects of agriculture? We are a food hungry nation that turned into a food exporter country just a few years back. Can we sustain that trend when plastic products are ruining cultivation fields and posing threats to crop productivity? 

If we look at our city life, the situation is even worse.  Dhaka has already been marked as one of the worst liveable cities in the world. Its garbage seems to be swelling, harming our health and sending a message of filth to local inhabitants and foreign investors. The prime job of the mayors is to keep the city clean and moving, not only for aesthetic reasons but also for economic reasons such as community health, labour productivity, and a rapid expansion of businesses. Plastic bags make this task more difficult than usual by clogging drains and the sewer system.  Just after a heavy rain, Dhaka streets get flooded with dirt and mud.  The city then resembles the Venice of the East, raising the demand for boats and swimsuits.  

While any garbage is usually dissolved in the soil, nature fails to do so for plastic products, which remain indestructible for decades or even centuries. Burning plastic products is not a good solution either, as these synthetic products emit harmful gases which can cause cancer while being burnt. So the only way to handle these enemies of the environment is to follow a three-pronged approach: 1) gradually reduce the use of plastic bags to eventually ban them for good; 2) encourage the production of alternatives to plastic bags; and finally 3) develop an efficient waste management system that carefully recycles all plastic products.  

A strong public policy with fiscal incentives and punishments where necessary is needed in this regard.  The Ministry of Environment and Forests should take the lead to convene a state level summit on plastic management. Finance, local governance, education, home, and health ministry must be brought together to combat the stubborn march of a plastic society. The central bank has already initiated a number of measures to promote a green economy.  A national level coordination to confront the plague of plastic is much warranted for augmenting our growth potential and for the sake of doing justice to the future generations.  Viewing development from a long term perspective is imperative.  And that is why we cannot pay heed to short term profitability and shopping convenience. 

If plastic bags create floods on the streets by permanently clogging the drains, they are indirectly responsible for the erosion and fracture of the roads.  The government thus faces a higher cost of maintenance that takes a toll on its development budget which again comes from the taxpayers' money.  This vicious cycle of plastic bags unveils the tragedy of short term convenience and profitability.  The way the bags are spreading all over cannot be managed by typical waste management procedures.  We are rapidly approaching a time when our beaches will be cluttered with plastic products, ruining the prospects of tourism.  Waterbodies such as rivers, ponds, and marshlands are already contaminated, affecting the quality of fish available. The unplanned expansion of waste fields is engulfing bigger and bigger areas of the cities and towns. Construction of buildings on those waste fields will create future disasters, resulting in loss of lives.  

Threats to a plastic society like ours are numerous. A failure to address these threats will not only corrupt our daily breathing and viewing, but will also dampen future potential for sustainable growth. Moreover, graduating to a middle income country will be delayed if not obstructed.

The writer is chief economist of Bangladesh Bank.