Copyright: iStockPhoto / Robert Podlaski
Reducing marine litter: what are the specific challenges in Bangladesh?
Bangladesh is characterized by a rich biodiversity: The state with its 164 million inhabitants lies on the Bay of Bengal and is covered by streams, channels, wetlands and the constantly changing river courses in the Ganges Delta – the largest river delta in the world – and the Brahmaputra-Meghna Delta. As a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the Sundarbans are home to the largest contiguous mangrove forest.
Plastic discharges pose a threat to this unique biodiversity. Although Bangladesh's plastic waste generation is behind that of other countries, the proportion of its marine litter inputs is high: with a marine litter generation of 120,000 - 310,000 metric tons annually, Bangladesh ranks tenth in global marine plastic pollution.
Bangladesh is classified as a low-income country. 47 percent of its population live in slums, about 70.9 million people (44 percent) live in the immediate coastal area. Formal waste collection systems and recycling structures hardly exist; waste disposal at the roadside, via open urban canals, unsecured dumpsites and in open nature represent the everyday practice for most of the population.
The SCIP project region of Khulna also faces these challenges. Khulna, the largest urban area within the Ganges delta, has severe deficiencies in its waste management system just like other regions in Bangladesh: Only about 25 percent of the municipal waste generated in Khulna, for example, is collected. To tackle these challenges, SCIP follows a systemic approach and develops sustainable solutions.
How is the project helping to reduce marine litter?
SCIP aims to further develop the entire waste process chain in the Khulna region: Improved waste collection, recycling and redevelopment of landfills are to contribute to reducing marine litter inputs in the Bay of Bengal.
In order to build up long-term local and national expertise in Bangladesh, the project establishes a multidisciplinary knowledge transfer hub on waste and resource management. In addition to its function as a national competence and research center and think tank, the hub will serve as national contact point for plastic pollution prevention and bring different waste management stakeholders together – including municipal and political decision-makers, industry, universities, stakeholders from informal waste collection and the recycling sector.
Moreover, SCIP addresses the country's ports as a source of marine litter. It works with Mongla Port as part of a case study, and develops countermeasures that are aimed to be transferable to Chattogram, Bangladesh's largest port.
As a further project measure, SCIP tests in how far local jute could be used to substitute selected plastic products in the region.
SCIP emphasizes socio-economic aspects – e.g. the inclusion of informal waste workers –, the importance of sound cooperation of different stakeholders, and places a special focus on adapting project measures to the regional context.