Govt to take initiative to produce fertilizer from waste: Saber

Environment, Forest and Climate Change Minister Saber Hossain Chowdhury today said the government will take an initiative to produce fertilizer from waste as it is working to turn wastes into resources.

“An initiative is going to be taken to produce fertilizer from waste,” he told reporters after a meeting with the delegation of USAID and ‘Dhaka Calling’ at Bangladesh Secretariat here.

Saber said by 2025, around 50,000 metric tonnes of waste will be generated in various sectors in the country daily.

“In the future, not only the city, but the waste of all areas will have to be managed. By collecting those, the government along with private sector will take steps to produce fertilizer from waste,” he said.

The minister said fertilizer import will decrease if the production of fertilizer from waste begins and this will save us a lot of foreign exchange.

He said as per the 100 working-day programme of his ministry, the National Waste Management Framework will be formulated on priority basis.

“We are looking at the entire ecosystem of waste management. How it can be developed and managed is being considered. For now, solid waste will be managed. Human waste, tannery waste, e-waste and medical waste will also be managed gradually,” Saber said.

He said initiatives will also be taken to recycle single use plastic and considering the future needs, waste management plans will be undertaken by identifying the sites and acquiring land.

Expressing concern over the waste management of Savar tannery, the environment minister said the tannery waste having chromium puts a serious threat to human health.

He said his ministry wants to resolve the problem in consultation with the Ministry of Industries.

Later, during a meeting with a delegation of NGO Knowledge for Progress (PROGGA) at his office, Environment Minister Saber stressed the need for imposing restriction on plastic filters in cigarettes.  (BSS)