CCC dumps posters without separating polythene covers
Authorities of Chattogram City Corporation (CCC) were found disposing of election posters hanged by candidates of the 11th parliamentary polls in the port city, without separating polythene covers on them, which according to experts is posing threats to environment.
Conservancy workers started to remove the posters and banners in the city since Monday, the day after the polls, said sources at CCC.
They were seen collecting posters and banners and putting them in the dumping grounds of the CCC in Halishahar and Bayezid Bostami areas in the city, said eyewitnesses, adding that the posters, most of which were covered with polythene, were being dumped on the grounds without separating the polythene covers.
A total of 80 candidates contested in the 11th parliamentary polls in six constituencies located fully or partly in the city. While it is difficult to find the exact number of posters published, it could safely be assumed at tens of thousands.
Environmental experts said if CCC disposes the posters without separating the polythene covers, it would be a threat to the environment.
Contacted, Dr Alak Paul, a professor at Department of Geography and Environmental Studies of Chittagong University, said dumping posters without removing polythene covers would definitely pollute the environment.
“Polythene does not decompose and so it would remain in the soil year after year,” he said, adding, “The CCC should go for separating the polythene covers before dumping those, and the polythene should be either recycled or reused.”
Mazharul Islam, assistant professor at Department of Soil Science of CU, told The Daily Star that polythene harms soil in more ways than one.
“Fertility of soil remains in the top-soil... if polythene mixes with top-soil, the soil loses its fertility,” he said, adding, “Moreover, water gets obstructed to go deep into the soil due to this polythene.”
“These unprocessed polythene in the dumping grounds would spread to adjacent areas and would create water-logging during the rainy season,” he said.
“So recycling or reusing polythene after separating from posters is the best way of disposal,” said Mazharul.
Contacted, CCC chief conservancy officer Shafiqul Mannan Siddique said a total of 3,500 CCC conservancy workers started removing posters and banners since Monday. Mannan claimed that the posters were not being separated from their polythene sheaths, because scavengers usually collect the posters from dumping grounds and separate those to reuse or sell.
“I do not think these polythene covers would spread or mix with soil to pollute environment, as from our previous experience, we saw street boys collecting the posters to use or sell in market after separating those,” he said. “The polythene are reused or recycled”.
Comments