Eminent physician and wife of Prime Minister Tarique Rahman, Dr Zubaida Rahman, on Wednesday stressed the need for transforming waste into resources, sources of energy and opportunities for economic growth.
“Waste should not be allowed to go to waste without being put to any use. Rather, it must be transformed into resources, sources of energy and opportunities for economic growth,” she told a high-level meeting of spouses of heads of state and government held on the sidelines of the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP31) here.
Dr Zubaida said: “Let us turn waste into resources, pollution into solutions, and commitments into concrete actions,”
Expressing her sincere gratitude to Türkiye’s First Lady Emine Erdogan for hosting the meeting, she said Emine’s leadership in advancing the zero-waste agenda was truly inspiring.
She said Bangladesh strongly welcomes and supports the Global Zero Waste Alliance. The objectives of the alliance are fully aligned with the Bangladesh government’s vision of building a clean environment, a healthy population and a sustainable future, she mentioned.
Dr Zubaida said the Bangladesh government is encouraging waste reduction, reuse and recycling (the 3Rs).
At the same time, she said, waste segregation and safe disposal systems were being strengthened under the Solid Waste Management Rules.
She noted that under Bangladesh’s Third Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC 3.0), the country has set a target of reducing greenhouse gas emissions from the waste sector by 1.78 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent by 2035.
Highlighting the government's priority initiatives, she said emphasis was being placed on recycling, composting, landfill gas recovery, waste-to-energy generation, wastewater treatment, and the safe management of waste from medical and healthcare facilities.
Referring to an initiative to implement a large-scale waste-to-energy project in Dhaka, she said the project would process 3,000 tonnes of household waste daily to generate 42.5 megawatts of electricity.
She added that there were plans to expand similar projects to other major cities across Bangladesh.
She said the government's key objective was to convert urban waste into clean energy while protecting the environment.
At the same time, initiatives to clean the country's lakes, canals, ponds and other water bodies were continuing to reduce plastic pollution, she said.
Emphasising the promotion of jute products as an alternative to plastic, Rahman said Bangladesh's golden fibre, jute, was a natural alternative to plastic. She added that efforts were underway to expand the use of jute-based products.
She also invited the delegates attending the conference to visit the Bangladesh Jute Pavilion, located in the Green Zone of the conference venue.
Noting that Bangladesh, as a signatory to the Global Methane Pledge, was committed to reducing methane emissions, she said the government was encouraging climate-friendly agriculture and improved rice cultivation practices. Initiatives had also been undertaken to produce organic fertiliser and clean energy from organic waste.
Highlighting the importance of international cooperation in building a zero-waste world, she said the goal could not be achieved through individual efforts alone. Affordable climate finance, technology transfer and capacity building were essential to achieving this objective, she said.
She further stressed the need for strong private-sector participation and ensuring adequate protection for informal waste management workers.
Calling for the engagement of the younger generation in the movement, she said environmental awareness must begin at home, in educational institutions and in society.
“Young people were not only the leaders of tomorrow but also important partners in addressing today's challenges,” she added.
Dr Zubaida said Bangladesh was fully prepared to further strengthen global cooperation and translate collective commitments into action.