At Chattogram Zoo, students under 18 can get in free by handing over 100 grams of used plastic, against a normal entry fee of Tk 70. On Monday, 26 October, the district administration signed a memorandum of understanding with YPSA Waste Management Enterprise to collect and recycle that plastic regularly.
Deputy Commissioner Mohammad Zahidul Islam Mia said the scheme began in September to make children aware of plastic pollution, and more than 400 students have so far entered the zoo free by bringing discarded plastic.
Under the agreement, YPSA will collect, sort and recycle the plastic in an environmentally sound way. No money will change hands between the two sides, and the agreement runs for one year to begin with. Additional Deputy Commissioner (Education and ICT) Pathan Md Saiduzzaman signed for the administration and YPSA's director (finance) Palash Kumar Chowdhury for the enterprise.
The deputy commissioner said that since the scheme started, many people have called him wanting to collect plastic and asking where it could be recycled, and that the shortage of such firms in the country is a challenge. "If everyone really collects plastic, I think this could become a big industry in future," he said, urging entrepreneurs into the sector.
Accepting that plastic cannot realistically be banned outright, Zahidul Islam called for proper management, recycling and safe disposal, greater use of jute and other natural materials, and protection of the environment and people's health in the recycling process. He urged private firms to take up similar schemes beyond the zoo.
He also announced plans to plant about 150 coconut trees to make the zoo greener, and said he hoped children would put their phones down for a while and come to know nature and biodiversity there.
Reported for Sarabangla by Nusrat Tonu in Chattogram.
Photo: Capped langur at Chittagong Zoo, Moheen Reeyad / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Source: Sarabangla
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