Stakeholders will have to develop innovative and smart solutions for managing plastic waste in Bangladesh, LGRD Minister Md Tazul Islam said Saturday. "Waste collection is now not considered to be sustainable as it is still not viewed as a business proposition," he added while speaking at the seminar "Enabling policy for sustainable plastic waste management" in Dhaka. An effective solution would be the circular system, which ensures the consumption of plastic does not increase and moves towards a sustainable waste management model, Tazul said. "We must also empower the value chain actors and provide holistic support to the informal sector, comprising the micro-entrepreneurs, scrap dealers and waste pickers. This informal yet important sector must be facilitated and a proper structure should be developed for our own sake," he added. Read: Deal signed to set up waste-based power plant in Narayanganj "The government's Vision 2041 has incorporated plastic waste management in its sustainable urbanisation goals," Senior Secretary of the Prime Minister's Office Md Tofazzal Hossain Miah said at the programme jointly organised by the Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FBCCI) and Unilever Bangladesh. Unilever Bangladesh CEO and Managing Director Zaved Akhtar and FBCCI President Md Jasim Uddin also spoke.

LGRD Minister Tazul Islam has said wholesale and retail kitchen markets should be set up at places designated  by the government to reduce traffic jam and public hassles. “Action will be taken against those who will set up shops occupying roads that hampers people’s movement,” he said. He said this on Thursday after visiting Gabtoli kitchen market aiming to relocate Karwan Bazar there. Also read: LGRD Minister directs WASA to fix water price in capital rationally “Karwan Bazar was established long ago and goods from this market are distributed in retail markets of the city. Traders coming from different parts of the country struggle to reach here while distribution also becomes a struggle due to traffic jam. So we have started working on how Karwan Bazar can be shifted to a different suitable point of Dhaka,” he said. He said wholesale and retail kitchen markets should not set up at the same place in densely populated areas and it is better if wholesale kitchen markets can be shifted outside the city. “The mayors and councilors will decide how many markets are needed in an area instead of establishing wholesale and retail kitchen markets everywhere. If new markets are needed it will be done identifying the suitable spots,” the minister  said. Also read: Re-excavated canals: LGRD Minister predicts less waterlogging in Dhaka “It’s not logical to establish a three-storied building for kitchen market but at Gabtoli it is being made to sell other products like electronics goods in the upper floors. Our main aim is to build a planned and beautiful Dhaka,”he added. 

LGRD and Cooperatives Tazul Islam on Thursday stressed the need for public awareness and engagement to ensure inclusive sanitation throughout the country. "Inclusive sanitation is not possible without engaging the mass people. Once they become aware of the adversities of open disposal, they’ll start extending cooperation and this will bring good changes," he said. The minister was addressing the launching ceremony of a new sanitation project at the Council Building of Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (Buet) in the city. The International Training Network (ITN - BUET), a Center of Buet, launched the project titled "Citywide Inclusive Sanitation Scaling and Sanitation Innovation." Tazul Islam said the biggest challenge is to rightly design and execute sanitation projects in time. “We can meet these difficulties by working together. We don’t want only citywide sanitation, but also countrywide inclusive sanitation so that no one is left behind when we meet SDG targets." He mentioned the government's strong commitment to ensuring safely managed sanitation for all and emphasised the importance of leaving no one behind to achieve the citywide inclusive sanitation (CWIS).  Chaired by Buet Vice Chancellor Prof Satya Prasad Majumder, the launching event was attended, among others, by Senior Secretary of Local Government Division Helal Uddin Ahmed, Pro-Vice Chancellor of Buet Dr Abdul Jabbar Khan, Deputy Director of Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Dr Roshan Raj Shrestha, Chief Engineer of Department of Public Health Engineering (DPHE) Saifur Rahman and Managing Director of Dhaka Wasa Engineer Taqsem A Khan. Read: No boarding passes if South Africa returnees not fully vaccinated: FM The speakers said it is high time to scale sustainable citywide sanitation services in urban areas to meet the new generation challenges of urban sanitation and reach the global sanitation target by 2030. Dr Roshan Raj Shrestha said, "I believe Bangladesh will be a leading example for other countries by implementing SDG targets". He said the ITN-Buet will be the leading capacity-building hub for this region as well as international. Prof Satya Prasad said the ITN-Buet has strong relations with national-level WASH programs. Buet always contributes to the nation and will continue to do so through this project as well, he said. ITN Director Dr Tanvir Ahmed presented the keynote paper reflecting the necessity of capacity-building for scaling citywide inclusive sanitation (CWIS), which is a public service approach for sustainable urban sanitation and adopted by many developing countries. The project is built on learning and experiences from the previous partnership with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation for national-level capacity-building on fecal sludge management and citywide inclusive sanitation.  Dr Ahmed highlighted that the current phase intends to build the capacity of stakeholders to mainstream the CWIS approach in cities of Bangladesh and in partner countries like Nepal and Indonesia for sustainable sanitation, said a press release.