At a glance

AT-A-GLANCE

  • 1989: Under the leadership of Dr Shahriar Hossain a few enthusiastic people initiated anti-polythene campaigning

  • 1991: Individual initiative got organizational base by founding Environment and Social Development Organization – ESDO
  • 1992-93: ESDO took enormous venture through media and other campaigning to make people persuade to anti-polythene campaign
  • 1993: Various organization & personality came forward with support to the campaign. Different     program organized to build consensus on this issue in the major cities and municipalities of the country
  • On 11 October 1993 the Government of Bangladesh decided to ban the production and trade of polythene bag outside the Export Processing Zone (EPZ). The cabinet promulgated a resolution in this connection to be effective from 18 January 1994. But unfortunately 4 days before the deadline the then prime minister postponed the resolution of ban.
  • 30 October 1993: Being inspired by ESDO’s anti-polythene campaign 500 polythene factory shut down in Shind Province in Pakistan by the government
  • 15 December 1993: Ashoka Foundation, USA, recognized anti-polythene activities of ESDO as most justified agenda; and decided to highlight the agenda in it’s international network
  • 22 September 1994: Declared food processing and packaging prohibited with polythene bags in Japan and Korea, and directed to reduce the use of polythene shopping bag
  • 18 August 1995: Greenpeace International officially recognized the anti-polythene activities of ESDO; and included the agenda in it’s international network
  • 18 September 1995: Clean up the World, Australia based environmental organization recognized ESDO’s campaign and involved the agenda in it’s main program
  • October 1995: Friends of the Earth International in London, Paris, Berlin, Copenhagen and Amsterdam simultaneously recognized anti-polythene campaign of ESDO and involved the program in it’s prime network
  • November 1997: A ban order declared on polythene bags in Shellong, India. It said that polythene bag production and use will be banned within one year
  • December 1998: The ban order on polythene bag is enforced in Shellong, India
  • 12 December 1999: Ministry of Environment and Forest recognized the anti-polythene campaign as a National Most Important Movement and included in the “Sustainable Environment Management Program”
  • 30 June 2000: ESDO selected NGO representative in the high level task force of banning of production and use of polythene bag
  • September 2000: The government of Moharashtra, India, declared a ban order on production and use of polythene shopping bag in it’s capital Mumbai
  • 30 October 2000: A meeting of the task force took the decision that production, trade & use of black polythene bag will be banned from 31 January 2001; and by turns Bangladesh will be free from all kinds of polythene bags by 2003
  • October 2000: Calcutta City Corporation of West Bengal, India, took a decision on production and use of polythene bag, which will be enforced by year 2001
  • 1998 – 2000: The Environment Friendly Bag Exhibition becomes an annual ESDO event. It is held as part of the organization’s anti-polythene/plastic campaign. Manufacturers of paper, cloth, jute and cane bags from all over the country participated in the event. Winners were chosen from different categories of manufactures and given accolades.
  • November 2001: Bangladesh’s Ministry of Environment and Forest commit to banning polythene use in Dhaka as of January 1, 2002.
  • December 2001: Government of West Bengal of India imposed a ban on the use and production of polythene shopping bags from January 1, 2002
  • December 2001: ESDO takes the opportunity to strongly advertise and educate the public about the dangers of polythene and increase awareness about the upcoming ban..
  • December 2001: ESDO produces posters, leaflets, television commercials, and voice announcements, to prepare the public for the ban on polythene.
  • January 2002: Polythene is banned as of January 1, 2002 in Dhaka city and banning the production and use of polythene countrywide by March 1, 2002
  • March 2002: On march 3rd, parliament unanimously passed a law to ban all kind of plastic shopping bag in Bangladesh.

 
 
 

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