Speakers at a meeting on Friday (February 21) called to stop the use of polythene and one-time -use plastics immediately to save people, animals and the environment. Bangladesh Environmental Lawyers' Society (BELA) and the Youth Environment Society (YES), Cox's Bazar jointly arranged the programme.
The speakers mentioned, polythene and one-time use plastic must be stopped now because polythene and plastic accumulated on the bottom of the river was causing damage to soil, water, surroundings, biodiversity and marine organisms. Those were also severely polluting the environment. Waste management becomes more expensive because of dumping and mixing of plastic to the soil. The use of plastic poses a threat to public health and destroys reproductive and immune systems, causing respiratory distress and cancer.
Youth Environment Society's (YES) adviser and Cox's Bazar District and Sessions Judge who chaired the meeting said the waste life span of plastic is not less than five years. At one point, plastic got broken down into tiny particles. These tiny particles are called microplastic. This microplastic enters into our diets and increases the health risk of men.
The meeting was attended and addressed, among others, by Cox's Bazar CEO Ibrahim Khalil Ullah Mamun, general secretary of the journalist union, Cox's Bazar Ansar Hossain, co-founder of the Cox's Bazar, Cox's Baza Maqb-Ahdag Humayun Sikder, executive editor of Daily Cox's Bazar, Muhsin Sheikh, editor of Daily Sagar, Mostafa Sarwar, joint secretary of Bangladesh River Cruiser, Mohammad Romina Akter, Cox's Bazar District and Sessions Judge Akhobaz. Civil society representatives, lawyers, journalists, NGO officials and businessmen.
At the seminar, activists of Bangladesh Environmental Lawyers Association (Bela) and Youth Environment Society (YES) at Cox's Bazar beach distributed leafletsto businessmen and tourists seeking ban on the use of polythene and one-time-use plastic.
