Bangladesh Government emphasized on reducing electronic waste across the country

Syeda Rizwana Hasan, a leading environmentalist and advisor in Bangladesh’s Interim Government, in charge of the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change (MOEFCC), Bangladesh and the Ministry of Water Resources (MOWR), Bangladesh, wants to regularly encourage the country’s recycling industry in addition to reducing electronic waste.

She also stressed on developing a nationwide e-waste management system. She made this statement during a virtual seminar on ‘Formal E-Waste Management’ at a hotel in Dhaka on October 22.

The advisor also urged the ministry to provide support and advice in implementing the e-waste management regulations.

Rizwana urged manufacturers to produce sustainable electronics and asked consumers not to quickly discard devices just due to temporary trends.

The government will implement the E-Waste Rules 2021, which will play an important role in electronic waste management.

The emphasis is on reducing electronic waste and there is a need to regularize and encourage the recycling industry. There is a need to develop a comprehensive e-waste management system across the country.

Rizwana emphasized that the government, private sector, and citizens must collaborate, stating, “Informal hazardous waste processing poses serious risks to the environment and public health.”

Md Emdad Ul Bari, Chairman of BTRC; Sumon Ahmed Sabir, Chairman of WEEE Society-Bangladesh; and Professor Shahinur Islam from BUET’s Chemical Engineering Department spoke at the event.

policymakers, environmental experts and industry entrepreneurs discussed the challenges and possible solutions of e-waste management in the seminar.

BUET teacher Shahinur Islam expressed concern over the pollution and health risks caused by waste processing through recycling processes, such as open burning.