Secretariat to be fully plastic-free from the new year, says Rizwana

The government aims to make the Bangladesh Secretariat completely free of single-use plastic by Jan 1, Environment Advisor Syeda Rizwana Hasan has said. Speaking to reporters at the Secretariat on Sunday, Rizwana said the initiative to phase out single-use plastic from government offices has begun with the Secretariat. “The use of water bottles and other single-use plastic items will be stopped by December,” she said. She added that although single-use plastics are not yet legally banned in Bangladesh, the government is discouraging their use. “Several embassies and universities have already declared their campuses plastic-free.” Earlier in the day, Environment Secretary Farhina Ahmed monitored the implementation activities at Gates 2 and 5 of the Secretariat. Officials handed over plastic bags and...