“Reduce reliance on PET bottles and single-use plastics, implement green and alternative solutions to reduce plastic use, and establish a task force to monitor and enforce the policy.” With these words, about 23 student advocates from Royal Thimphu College (RTC) submitted a petition to the prime minister and the government calling for stricter enforcement of the existing plastic ban. As part of “Plastic Free Bhutan: Reinforce the Ban, Embracing Change”, advocacy initiative marking World Environment Day yesterday, the petition was handed over to the Minister of Agriculture and Livestock.
The growing environmental challenges of plastic pollution demand urgent action. In Thimphu Thromde, waste collection vehicles separate waste into wet, dry, hazardous, and other categories. The waste strategy aims to decrease the amount of waste sent to landfill to less than 20 percent by 2030.
According to the National Waste Inventory Survey (NWIS) of 2019, Bhutan produces 172.16 metric tonnes (MT) of solid waste every day. As per a 2021 record, the daily average of the waste disposed at the landfill was 54 MT.
There is no weighbridge for measuring waste generation or dumping at the landfill. Thimphu and Phuentsholing have the highest density of plastic waste production, with 18,000 tonnes of plastic consumption per year and waste generation of 14,000 tonnes annually. The government’s Zero Waste Bhutan App functions as a tracker for waste-related offences.
So far, it has recorded 436.