Hazardous Waste Management Situation in Bangladesh: An Assessment of Existing Legal Frameworks and Challenges through Working from Home

Abstract

Hazardous waste has become one of the most alarming threats to the environmental as well as socio-political aspects of Bangladesh. Sustainable waste management is a longer lasting challenge for the developing countries like Bangladesh. In addition to this, because of inadequacy of work force, antique waste management system, technical scarcity and overall corruption the government specially the concerned local government of the municipality is facing the issue rampant and threatening. Notwithstanding that the government ratified international Basel Convention, 1989 and enhanced diversified legal policies to dispose and recycle the hazardous wastes. Nonetheless, gigantic growing extent of wastes is posing dangerous warning to the existing waste management and disposal processes. Additionally, the sound management of wastes and environmental hazards were in less emphasis and least studied previously whereas nowadays the government and relevant stakeholders are considering this issue with importance to preserve the human health and nature where specific sectoral and fruitful working systems are initiated. However, the most acceptable methods i.e. recycling, reduction and reuse are not being applied effectively by the responsible authorities of the government. Hence, the sustainability of waste managing is ended in smoke and being more complicated. In the study, conceptualization of electronic waste, environmental hazards, waste generation process are stated cognitively. At the same time the study ventures on the conceptual aspects of both global and national prevalent methods for sustainable waste management. Moreover, integrative literature review is conducted to find out the limitations of the prevailing legal policies of the government are elaborated practically and recommended ways to develop the efficient and sustainable waste management systems to get rid of the perilous consequences of hazardous wastes. During the pandemic crisis it is found to be more challenging as working from home is a pre dominant factor in the new norm.