UNIDO Calls for Behavioural Change to Curb Plastic Pollution

From the comb used after waking up to the toothbrush used before going to bed, plastic is embedded in everyday life. While avoiding it entirely can be difficult, experts say pollution can be reduced by limiting unnecessary consumption, rejecting single-use products, choosing reusable alternatives and improving waste management. The United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) is supporting efforts to reduce the use of plastic raw materials in industry and promote more sustainable practices across production and waste-management systems.

UNIDO organised a day-long workshop at a Dhaka hotel on Saturday, October 17, bringing together more than 50 media professionals and university students involved in project implementation. The event focused on sustainable plastic use, preventing marine litter and sharing experiences from UNIDO-supported projects in Bangladesh.

The discussions included initiatives to promote environmentally responsible plastics in toy exports, a plan to reduce medical waste in Sirajganj, and special projects in Narayanganj and Barishal, as well as at the University of Dhaka and Jahangirnagar University.

Facilitated by Tony Michael, the workshop highlighted the four Rs: refusing single-use plastics, reusing products, reducing plastic consumption and recycling waste properly. Speakers called for these practices to begin at the individual level and develop into a wider social movement.

Media urged to report across the plastic lifecycle

During a special session, physician, television presenter, writer, debater and social activist Dr Abdun Noor Tushar Tushar urged journalists to take a broader approach to reporting on plastic pollution. He noted that producing a pair of jeans can require around 200 litres of water, but the garment may be used for a long time. Environmental reporting, he suggested, should therefore consider product lifespan and patterns of use alongside manufacturing impacts.

Tushar said journalists could investigate where pollution-causing manufactured goods are produced, how they are marketed, how secondary businesses operate around recycling, how waste-management systems function, and what risks arise from black markets and improper disposal. He argued that greater emphasis should be placed on proper use, saying that avoiding unnecessary consumption could reduce plastic use.

Raising concerns about potential long-term health impacts, Tushar said the presence of plastics in children’s bodies was a worrying issue. He called for further discussion and research into possible links between plastic exposure and health concerns such as thyroid disorders and infertility. He also urged the media to report on alternatives to human-made plastics.

Citing the decline in the use of lead-containing vermilion as awareness of its toxicity increased, he said people are attracted to variety and beauty, but grooming and everyday habits can also generate waste. He raised concerns about possible microplastic impacts, premature greying of hair, early ageing and children’s cognitive development. He also questioned whether plastic could affect thyroid function, calling for broader social change on these issues.

Technology use also requires proportion

Tushar said discussions about water consumption linked to artificial intelligence tools such as ChatGPT did not always receive equivalent attention when it came to water use by Facebook’s servers. He called for a more comprehensive assessment of the environmental impacts of technology rather than focusing on selected examples.

He also expressed concern about electronic waste, asking where displays and other components end up after gold is extracted from circuit boards. He raised concerns about possible health risks associated with bisphenol A (BPA) in plastic water bottles exposed to sunlight, saying public awareness of such issues remained inadequate.

Tushar said wax-coated paper straws had once been used as an alternative, but plastic straws were now being used again in many places. He added that awareness was also lacking about safe use of ovens and refrigerators and proper food storage. The type of container used to store food matters, he said, but there were no adequate programmes addressing the issue.

Call for coordinated medical-waste management

Expressing frustration over what he described as a lack of environmental awareness among politicians and bureaucrats, Tushar said effective medical-waste management remained inadequate. He suggested the government could take responsibility and consider collective effluent treatment plants (CETPs) to treat waste from multiple facilities. Planning was also needed to determine where and how different types of plastic should be used.

He added that recycling alone would not solve the problem; waste reduction and other approaches beyond recycling were also necessary. Without source-level management, he said, the problem remained unresolved and waste could become a source of income while its environmental costs persisted.

Earlier, UNIDO National Expert Md Mahobul Islam highlighted pollution associated with packaging for products such as chocolate and chips. He said multilayer packaging made waste management more complicated. Aluminium used inside packets and bright colours used in their designs may make packaging more attractive while creating additional challenges for recycling and environmental management.

UNIDO describes media as change-makers

Alamgir Hossain, UNIDO Bangladesh’s country representative, said media professionals were a powerful force in helping the public understand environmental change worldwide. They translate technical terminology into language accessible to ordinary people. Alongside examining why people have become accustomed to plastic, he said, changing behaviour was one of the most difficult challenges. Journalists could act as change-makers in that process.

Dr Abdullah Al Mamun, project director at the Department of Environment, a UNIDO partner, said government offices were also changing over time and the network of people supporting environmental work was growing. The department was now sharing data and information with the media, he said, expressing hope that journalists would continue working for the country with commitment.

UNIDO senior officer Satya Ranjan Bhattacharya presented an overview of the organisation’s activities. Referring to 25 projects operating in Bangladesh, he outlined UNIDO’s work and the scope of its initiatives.

In his presentation, UNIDO technical expert Md Mahobul Islam average annual per-capita plastic consumption in Bangladesh had risen to 22 kg, compared with an earlier estimate of 3–9 kg about a decade ago. He said plastic accounted for around 70% of the materials used in mobile phones and was also widely used in the garment industry. With plastic present at nearly every stage of life—from the cradle to the grave—he described the current period as the plastic age.

Mahobul also added, "Plastic was first used to make billiard balls as an alternative to ivory around a century and a half ago." It has since become an important part of industry and the economy, contributing to GDP. The priority, he said, was therefore to ensure sustainable management rather than simply treating plastic as a material that could be eliminated entirely. According to his presentation, 31% of plastic used in Bangladesh is already recycled.

Recommending three types of bins for households, Arafat said plastic use should be reduced in 17 types of items that cannot be recycled, while reusable alternatives and appropriate recycling should be encouraged. He stressed that consumers must take the first step towards recycling by managing waste responsibly.

The workshop concluded with calls for individual behaviour change, more responsible industrial production, better management of medical and electronic waste, and sustained media reporting to raise public awareness of plastic pollution.

//DBTech/IH/SMP/MIST//