New Sirajganj waste facility to protect over 3m people
The country's largest biomedical waste treatment facility was inaugurated in Sirajganj today.
It can process over 950 tonnes of healthcare waste annually and aims to reduce public health and environmental risks for more than three million people in the district.
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The facility will collect, transport, treat and dispose of biomedical waste generated by healthcare establishments throughout Sirajganj. The operation is projected to recover about 130 tonnes of recyclable materials annually, supporting environmental sustainability.
The Department of Environment established the Common Treatment Facility under the "Integrated Approach Towards Sustainable Plastics Use and Marine Litter Prevention in Bangladesh" project, with technical support from the United Nations Industrial Development Organization and funding from the Royal Norwegian Embassy.
Adviser to the Ministry of Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Iqbal Hassan Mahmud, and Member of Parliament and Minister of Environment, Forest and Climate Change Abdul Awal Mintoo, joined the inauguration virtually due to adverse weather conditions.
Secretary-in-Charge of the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Dr Fahmida Khanom, attended the ceremony in person.
Sirajganj Deputy Commissioner and District Magistrate Md Aminul Islam chaired the event.
Director General of the Department of Environment Dr Md Lutfor Rahman; Chief of Circular Economy and Resource Efficiency Unit at United Nations Industrial Development Organisation Headquarters Jérôme Stucki; United Nations Industrial Development Organisation Project Manager in Vienna Dr Rana Pratap Singh; senior government officials; healthcare representatives; development partners; local government representatives; civil-society organisations; and private-sector stakeholders attended the event.
Speaking at the event, Iqbal Hassan Mahmud said that recovering recyclable materials would reduce the volume of waste requiring final disposal and promote circular-economy principles and resource efficiency.
He described the Sirajganj facility as a potential model for replication nationwide and requested that the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change and the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation project team prepare a presentation for the Chief Adviser.
Mahmud said he and the Minister of Environment, Forest and Climate Change would support efforts to establish similar facilities throughout Bangladesh.
In his virtual remarks, Abdul Awal Mintoo reaffirmed the ministry's commitment to strengthening environmentally sound biomedical waste management as part of Bangladesh's sustainable development agenda.
Jérôme Stucki congratulated the Government of Bangladesh and project partners, noting that the facility demonstrated how institutional cooperation and innovation can deliver tangible environmental and public health benefits.
Dr Rana Pratap Singh said he hoped the facility would serve as a national model for integrated healthcare waste management.
In his keynote presentation, National Expert at the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation, Gubair Bin Arafat, outlined the collaboration among government institutions, healthcare providers, development partners, and local communities that supported the project.
He said such partnerships could generate long-term environmental, public-health and socio-economic benefits while encouraging similar initiatives elsewhere in Bangladesh.
