Bangladesh

What:

This project is:

• Encouraging more households to get rid of their waste in rubbish and recycling bins in the street
• Advocating for the local government to provide more street bins so general waste, organic waste and plastics can be properly collected and recycled
• Creating employment opportunities with bio-gas plant installation and distribution, and also with small-scale enterprises to create compost and turn plastic into useful household items.  

Where:

The project is based in Parbatipur, Bangladesh, which has a population of approximately 300,000.

Why:

Currently, there is no formal waste collection system in Parbatipur in Bangladesh. Unmanaged waste is creating a major problem for people’s health and for the environment. 

• Approximately 10 tonnes of waste are dumped in the open every day, usually at roadsides.  
• More than 400 displaced people live in eight slums in the municipal area that have no waste management facilities, including a lack of sanitation. 
• Hospitals and clinics are often discharging their waste water directly into canals and rivers. 
• Use of plastic is a key issue

How:

Our partner in Bangladesh will:

• Hire and equip individuals from the community to be responsible for collecting plastic waste from local households and converting this into marketable products 
• Recruit individuals to turn organic waste into compost that can be sold to support local farmers
• Provide technical skills so waste recovery and recycling innovations can include bio-gas 
• Work closely with schools, hospitals, and local government to campaign for waste reduction and better waste management
• Help establish ‘green groups’ in local schools to raise awareness of the impact of waste on people’s health and the environment 
• Organise voluntary ‘community action groups’ to undertake litter-picks

The project in numbers

By March 2023, this programme expects to have improved waste management services, and provided new recycling opportunities, for 24,000 people living in Parbatipur.