Thousands of tons of single-use plastic are thrown away in Bangladesh every year, with countless plastic bags, bottles, cups, plates and straws making their way into the ocean. ELAW partner Syeda Rizwana Hasan and the Bangladesh Environmental Lawyers Association (BELA) are making real progress reining in this plastic peril.
In April 2019, Rizwana and her legal team won a High Court order banning single-use plastic in hotels and restaurants. The Court also ordered the government to strictly enforce a current polythene ban. Scientists in Bangladesh report that plastic is having toxic effects on human health and posing serious environmental hazards.
“ELAW support helped us present the facts more convincingly, particularly with regard to legal restrictions on single-use plastic in other countries,” said Rizwana. “The facts and figures from a wide range of global sources on how our oceans are being choked with plastic was invaluable.”