The government has set a plan to manufacture biodegradable jute made polyethylene bags soon under a project with a view to replacing environment-harming plastic polyethylene bags, reports BSS.
State Minister for Textile and Jute Mirza Azam said this while addressing an inter-ministerial National Committee Meeting on the eve of the “National Jute Day” at Textile and Jute Ministry’s conference room here today.
“We have a plan to manufacture jute-made polythene bags as these bags will be environment friendly, it would help replace the usual polythene bags,” said the State Minister at the meeting.
Fifteen-year ago, the government imposed a ban on using polythene bag, but the bags are continuously being used in the country.
According to experts, the polythene bag is a worst thing as it is non-biodegradable and its decomposition takes at least 400 years.
In capital Dhaka, the widespread use of plastic shopping bags is the key cause of clogging the drains and water-logging.
Mirza Azam said that the government would undertake a project worth Taka 20 crore with the technical assistance of the Bangladesh Atomic Energy Commission (BAEC) which is now under process.
The jute made polythene bags will be manufactured with the composition of 50 per cent jute and 50 per cent plastic polythene.
In 2002, Bangladesh became the first country in the world to ban thinner plastic bags after they were found to have choked the drainage system during devastating floods.
Other countries including South Africa, Rwanda, China, Australia and Italy followed it.
