Recycling:Reduce , Reuse and Recycle

Plastic recycling is a livelihood for the marginalized society in Bangladesh. Plastics are cheap, durable and lightweight materials. It meets the domestic demand in Bangladesh as well as some products are exported. The plastic industry has emerged as an important industrial sector in Bangladesh during the last three decades. At present, there are 5000 plastic manufacturing units, 95% of which belong to the Small-Medium Enterprises (SMEs). Domestic market size is Tk 10,300 crore (US$ 1425 million). Per capita consumption of plastics in Bangladesh is 5kg per year. The Plastic sector constitutes 1.0 of GDP and provides employment for half a million people. Total export earnings for both direct and deem (RMG accessories) export is about the US $ 537 million. The availability of cheap labor and the fast developing plastic waste recycling industry, provide Bangladesh potential advantage of competitiveness in the global market. It is observed that a major portion of plastic produced each year is used to make disposable items of packaging and other short-lived products that are discarded within a year of manufacture. So our current use of plastic is not sustainable. Recycling is one of the most important actions currently available to reduce these impacts and represents one of the most dynamic areas in the plastics industry today. Recycling provides opportunities to reduce oil usage, carbon-dioxide emissions and the quantities of waste requiring disposal. Recycling of packaging materials has seen rapid expansion over the last decades in a number of countries. Advances in technologies and systems for the collection, sorting and reprocessing of recyclable plastics are creating new opportunities for recycling and with the concerted efforts of the people, industry, and government. A thorough analysis of the relevant issues using Triple Triangle Framework (TTF) model helps to understand the competitive dynamics of the Bangladesh SME Plastic industry.