Adviser to the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change and the Ministry of Water Resources, Syeda Rizwana Hasan, on Saturday has said that jute shopping bags will be distributed among the public as an alternative to polythene shopping bags.
She said that a project has been initiated to supply these jute bags at subsidised prices. In this regard, coordinated efforts will be made in collaboration with the Ministry of Textiles and Jute.
The adviser made these remarks as the chief guest at a seminar on plastic pollution control and a cleanliness campaign held at the Senate Building of the University of Dhaka on Saturday.
Rizwana also stated that awareness campaigns will be conducted to encourage the use of jute bags. New entrepreneurs will be supported in the production of jute bags, and to ensure sustainability, institutions such as the Jute Diversification Promotion Center (JDPC), SME Foundation, and Joyeeta Foundation will be engaged.
The Adviser urged everyone to work together to tackle plastic pollution. She emphasized that unnecessary plastic use must be stopped at the individual level. “It is not true that there is no alternative to plastic,” she said. “While government initiatives cannot be implemented overnight, they will be carried out gradually.”
Bd-pratidin English/Tanvir Raihan
