Students advocate for plastic-free Bhutan

YK Podell

“Reduce reliance on PET bottles and single-use plastics, implement green and alternative solutions to reduce the use of plastics, and establish a task force to monitor and enforce the policy.”

With these words, around 23 student advocates from Royal Thimphu College (RTC) submitted a petition to the Prime Minister and the government, calling for strict implementation of the existing ban on plastics.

The petition was delivered to the Minister of Agriculture and Livestock as part of the awareness initiative ‘Plastic Free Bhutan: Strengthening the Ban, Embracing Change’ to mark World Environment Day yesterday.

The growing environmental challenge of plastic pollution requires urgent action.

Waste collection trucks separate waste into wet, dry, hazardous and other categories in Thimbutrond. The waste strategy aims to reduce the amount of waste sent to landfill to less than 20% by 2030.

According to the 2019 National Waste Inventory Survey (NWIS), Bhutan generates 172.16 metric tons of solid waste every day.

The landfill handles an average of 54 tonnes of waste per day, according to records from 2021. The landfill does not have a scale to measure the amount of waste generated or dumped.

Thimphu and Puentsholing are the regions with the highest density of plastic waste generation, with 18,000 tonnes of plastic consumption and 14,000 tonnes of waste generated each year.

The Bhutanese government’s “Zero Waste” app tracks waste-related violations. So far, it has recorded 436 violations and 369 incidents of waste-related problems.

Priya Rai, student advocate at RTC, said the initiative is aimed at creating awareness and encouraging people to take positive steps towards a sustainable future.

“Although the policy of banning plastic use is written on paper, its implementation requires joint efforts from everyone,” she said. “We cannot rely solely on the government to achieve this goal.”

She said further bans would reduce plastic pollution and inspire neighboring countries and the world to take similar measures.

Another student advocate, Karma Tshering, said despite many efforts and policies to address the issue, the adverse effects of plastic waste continue to grow.

“Single-use plastics, including bags, straws and bottles, are wreaking havoc on the environment and threatening the natural landscape, wildlife and human health,” he said.

The students are looking forward to receiving a response from the Prime Minister soon. “The school has supported the initiative and agreed to manage the school’s waste, which is a good start,” said a student.

As part of the campaign, the students also signed an agreement with the college management to reduce the use of PET bottles and single-use plastics in all college activities.

The college is working to promote alternatives by encouraging the use of reusable water bottles and installing water refilling stations.

College president Tshewang Tandin said the college is committed to adopting a green procurement policy, prioritizing the purchase of sustainable, plastic-free products, and developing guidelines for organizing plastic-free events at the college.

“This commitment demonstrates our commitment to promoting sustainable practices and reducing plastic waste within our communities,” said Tshewang Tandin.

The event also featured a panel discussion with key stakeholders to explore the challenges and opportunities of enforcing plastic bag bans.

Environmentalist Dasho Paljo J. Dorji said the concept of a “plastic ban” was not timely. “If we really can’t do it, we shouldn’t ban it,” he said. “Instead, we should work on the sustainable use and management of plastics.”

He said the concept wouldn’t work if people didn’t care about personal consumption, stewardship and the impact on the environment.

“Implementing a sound legislative policy on waste management by providing attractive subsidies to waste management agencies could bring about change,” he said.

The parliamentary committee on environment and climate change chairperson Pema Drubal said the committee discussed and planned to formulate policies and regulations on environment and climate change, including the country’s plastic waste problem.

“Despite the ban being launched in 1999 and further strengthened in 2019, factors such as the high cost of ecological alternatives, inconvenient waste disposal points and lack of proper sanitary landfill infrastructure or waste-to-energy facilities are major issues facing waste management in the country,” he said. “Such awareness programmes are crucial to raise the issue at the policy level.”

The students also presented a short film on waste management issues and future developments, followed by an eco-waste fashion show.

Prior to launching the advocacy programme, the college held a marathon campaign to advocate for waste reduction and management. It also held a social media campaign to encourage people to switch to greener and more sustainable alternatives.

The college’s student-led awareness campaign has received financial support from Rigsar Construction Private Limited.