Environment activists on Saturday urged the people to use traditional products made of earth, jute, bamboo and cane instead of polythene and plastic products to save the environment.
They made the call at a discussion meeting titled ‘Use of plastic can, bottle and products: dangerous impact on human body’ and organised by Bangladesh Paribesh Andolan at its Lalmatia office in Dhaka.
They also said formation of policy and its implementation were necessary to check the use of disposable plastic and polythene products.
The speakers said one-time-use plastic products and polythene caused environmental pollution in Bangladesh at a large scale but people have become used to using these products to meet their instant needs instead of using natural products.
They said the local products, which are on the verge of extinction, are in great demand on international market and the country could earn foreign currencies by exporting the products.
The activists also said the use of plastic and polythene products was increasing day by day, which also caused various economic and public health problems like different child and maternal diseases.
At the discussion, they also demanded that the government should ban plastic bottles for marketing water, soft drinks and all disposable plastic products, increase import tax on plastic raw material, reduce tax on glass products’ raw material and continue media campaign to make people aware.
They further demanded the use of glass, ceramic and earthen products at government and non-government offices and resin code in plastic products and importance on small and cottage industry.
BAPA’s former general secretary Mohidul Haque Khan, member Zahedur Rahman, State University Bangladesh’s MH Faruque, Shundar Jibon’s Sirajul Islam Molla and Green Voice’s Alamgir Kabir were present at the meeting among others.
