The government will officially recognize and reward hotels that declare themselves free of single-use plastics, said Syeda Rizwana Hasan, Adviser on Environment, Forests, Climate Change, and Water Resources.
Speaking at a stakeholder meeting with hotel owners at the Cox’s Bazar Deputy Commissioner’s conference room on Thursday evening, the adviser emphasized the urgent need to eliminate single-use plastics to ensure a healthier future for the next generation.
“For the sake of our children—to let them breathe clean air—we must end the use of single-use plastics,” she said. “Polythene may seem cheap, but we are paying a heavy price—people are getting sick with diseases like cancer.”
She urged the use of eco-friendly alternatives such as jute or cloth bags instead of polythene shopping bags.
Rizwana Hasan outlined the harmful impact of plastic waste on coastal areas like Cox’s Bazar and called for active cooperation from hotel owners to curb the problem. She reminded attendees that courts have already issued a ban on single-use plastics in coastal districts.
To ensure proper implementation of the ban, she instructed the Deputy Commissioner to deploy monitoring teams to hotels regularly. She also called for the formulation of a joint action plan with all stakeholders.
“Tourism is a vital part of our economy, but there can be no compromise when it comes to protecting the environment,” she said. “Plastic pollution threatens not just nature, but tourism itself. We must work together to make Cox’s Bazar an environmentally sustainable tourist destination.”
The meeting, chaired by Cox’s Bazar Deputy Commissioner Mohammad Salah Uddin, was attended by Superintendent of Police Md. Saifuddin Shaheen, Cox’s Bazar Municipality Administrator Rubaiya Afroze, senior government officials, hotel owners’ representatives, and various NGO members.
The Deputy Commissioner presented several plans to reduce plastic use and assured hotel owners of necessary support from the administration.
Zamir Uddin, Director of the Department of Environment in Cox’s Bazar, delivered a presentation on the extent and impact of plastic pollution. He announced an initiative to make 500 hotels and 300 restaurants in Cox’s Bazar single-use plastic-free by July 2025.
Cox’s Bazar Life Report/Mohammad Morshed
Photo: Courtesy
