Abdullah, aged 13, wears tattered clothes and carries a white plastic sack slung over his back. He collects discarded plastic waste from the streets and stores it in the sack. Every day, he wakes up at 6:00 am and walks along the roadside next to open drains, searching for thrown-away plastic bottles, bags, and food packets. By the end of the day, if he manages to gather 7-8 kilograms of waste, he can sell it for Tk 60 to Tk 70.

“This plastic I pick up feeds our family,” says Abdullah.

Plastic pollution has now become more than just an environmental issue—it has emerged as a reflection of class-based inequality, where profit benefits one group while the burden falls on another.

Plastic use by rich, pollution burden on poor

In Bangladesh, around 3,000 tonnes of plastic waste are generated every day. A 2023 study by Waste Concern revealed that 36% of this waste is dumped openly, 23% ends up in canals, rivers, and other water bodies, and only about 9% of plastic waste is recycled.

This plastic accumulates around the dwellings of the urban poor living in Dhaka’s slums, suburbs, and riverbanks.

“During the rainy season, the drains get blocked by plastic, and the water floods into our homes. Then the children suffer from diarrhoea and skin diseases,” said Amena, a resident of the Kakrail slum.

Due to unplanned plastic waste management and pollution, poor communities are becoming victims of environmental hazards while also falling further behind socially and economically, according to environmentalists.

Producers exempt, poor bear the burden

Currently, about 7,000 plastic manufacturing companies operate in Bangladesh. A 2024 international study published in ScienceDirect reported that an average of 646 tonnes of plastic is collected daily. However, most of this passes through slum areas to dumping sites, where health and environmental risks are the highest.

For poor families living along canals and rivers, this pollution has become a suffocating part of daily life.

The same 2024 study in ScienceDirect showed that of the 646 tonnes of plastic waste produced each day in Bangladesh, nearly 90% is not properly managed. As a result, a vast portion is accumulating in open spaces and water bodies, directly impacting the living conditions of impoverished communities.

Similarly, the Waste Concern study found that in Dhaka, 36% of daily plastic waste is disposed of in open spaces and 23% ends up in rivers and canals. Therefore, the urban poor and marginalised people—especially those living in slums or along riverbanks—face the most severe health hazards.

Basic necessities for poor come in plastic packaging

To meet daily needs, essential products such as rice, lentils, salt, oil, spices, soap, and shampoo are generally sold in small plastic packets and bottles. The majority of consumers of these products are low-income people.

The increasing use of plastic packets has further contributed to environmental pollution. Due to lack of proper disposal systems, these plastics accumulate in rivers, canals, and roads, creating waterlogging and breeding grounds for mosquitoes.

Environmental groups emphasize that protecting health and the environment requires promoting the use of eco-friendly alternative packaging and raising awareness. Developing safe, affordable, and sustainable packaging systems for the poor has become an urgent priority.

Sharif Jamil, Member-Secretary of the organization Dhora (Dhoritri Rokhhay Amra), said: “The use of plastic packets for daily essentials is not only a cause of environmental pollution but is also directly linked to consumer rights. Consumers have the right to safe and hygienic products. Ensuring protection from the harmful impacts of plastics is the government’s responsibility. Therefore, it is essential to ensure the use of environment-friendly alternative packaging and to make consumers aware so that they can act responsibly towards health and the environment.”

Plastic poses health risks

For 12 years, Afia Begum, a resident of the Mohakhali slum, has been collecting and selling plastic waste on the streets. Today, she suffers from itching, red rashes, and blisters on her skin, especially on her hands and feet. Doctors have told her that she has a skin infection caused by harmful chemicals in the plastic waste and the unsanitary environment.

A 2009 report by GAIA and UNEP revealed that poor communities and waste pickers are the most at risk from plastic pollution. In the areas where they live, plastic clogs the drainage systems. The resulting waterlogging breeds mosquitoes and pathogens that cause dengue, malaria, diarrhoea, and various skin diseases. The report said that more than 70% of waste pickers regularly suffer from skin infections or dermatitis. Among people living near plastic waste burning sites, the incidence of respiratory problems and eye irritation is 2.5 times higher. In about 80% of cases, poor and marginalised communities directly experience the impacts of plastic pollution.

According to BRAC’s 2022–2024 health surveys, 61% of female waste pickers suffer from hand injuries and infections, while 49% are afflicted with respiratory problems. Additionally, regular exposure to harmful chemicals and microplastics increases the risk of chronic diseases.

Policies ignore existence of poor

Although the Environment Conservation Act of 1995 and the Plastic Waste Management Policy of 2020 are in place, in practice, they have not ensured the participation or rights of low-income communities.

These policies mention implementing Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR), but no major companies are yet obligated to retrieve the plastics they produce. As a result, to cut costs, the burden falls entirely on the poor waste collectors, said Professor Dr Ahmad Kamruzzaman Majumdar, an environmental expert.

According to GAIA and UNEP research, worldwide, the poor and waste pickers remain the most vulnerable to the health risks of plastic pollution. Many regularly suffer from skin diseases, respiratory issues, and infections, yet they have no access to social protection or health services.

Moreover, a 2024 Khulna City Baseline Study revealed that about 80% of the areas surrounding Khulna’s dumping sites and riverside settlements are occupied by impoverished communities. These residents live amid foul smells, accumulated waste, and contaminated water daily, where health risks and humanitarian crises occur frequently.

Environmental advocates stress that solutions are not just about bans—they require social justice.

“To reduce plastic pollution, producers must first be brought under the Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) policy,” said Professor Majumdar. “They must be legally required to retrieve or recycle the same quantity of plastic they release into the market. This way, the responsibility for plastic waste will not fall solely on consumers but also on the producing companies.”

At the same time, the thousands of men and women who collect waste in the alleys every day, risking their health, must be recognized as workers. Protective gear, medical facilities, and fair wages should be ensured for them, he added.

Sharif Jamil believes there should be separate state allocations for development in urban slums and impoverished areas. “Health services, sanitation, and safe water supplies must be ensured in these regions because they are the most affected by plastic pollution,” he said.

Promoting eco-friendly packaging alternatives, such as jute, paper, or compostable materials, is also necessary. For this, the government and the private sector need to expand incentives and policy support. Rather than simply blaming consumers, a comprehensive policy shift is the only way to find a path out of this crisis, he concluded.

In this city, some people discard plastic, while others collect it to survive. But the burden of pollution is not shared equally. As plastic pollution escalates into a global crisis, environmentalists warn that shifting the blame onto the poor will never achieve the vision of a sustainable Bangladesh.

MSK/