State minister stresses public awareness, strict law enforcement to curb polythene use

State Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change Sheikh Faridul Islam has stressed the need for greater public awareness and strict enforcement of existing laws to stop the use of banned polythene bags and curb environmental pollution.

The state minister made the remarks on Monday while participating in an anti-polythene awareness campaign during a visit to Mohammadpur Krishi Market in the capital.

During the visit, he interacted with traders, shoppers and members of the public, urging them to use environmentally friendly bags instead of polythene.

He said the prime minister has directed that the use of single-use polythene bags be stopped. The government has already enacted laws banning thin polythene bags, and the next step is to ensure effective enforcement.

"We are first encouraging people to stop using polythene voluntarily. If its use continues despite these awareness efforts, we will be compelled to take strict action," he said.

The state minister said banned polythene is highly harmful to soil, water, air and biodiversity and is one of the major causes of urban waterlogging. Alongside government initiatives, he said, traders, consumers and citizens from all walks of life must play a responsible role in controlling polythene pollution.

He urged business owners to refrain from storing, selling and supplying banned polythene bags and called for greater use of environmentally friendly alternatives such as jute bags, cloth bags and other reusable shopping bags.

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He added that regular market inspections and public awareness campaigns would continue, alongside legal action against the use of banned polythene.

The state minister also said that over the past six months, authorities had conducted 168 mobile court drives against polythene use, filing 206 cases. During the operations, more than Tk19 lakh in fines were imposed and over 50,000 tonnes of polythene were seized.

During the visit, he distributed environmentally friendly shopping bags among buyers and sellers. Senior officials from the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change and the Department of Environment were also present.