Improving the visibility of the recycling sector

Waste management is an important issue for the country, as it contributes to environmental degradation. Municipal waste collection is not advanced enough to proactively cover the entire county, resulting in waste mismanagement. Also, most waste collected by Municipality waste collectors ends up in landfills, causing further damage to the environment. 

Besides the formal sector, Bangladesh also has an underfunded yet effective Informal Recycling Sector (IRS) that is largely unrecognized. Informal collectors provide their services to most of the population and complement municipal waste collection services. 

Intending to find a sustainable solution for waste management, the UNDP launched a three-year project to establish an integrated SWM that changes the perceptions and management of waste in the Teknaf and Ukhiya region of Cox’s Bazar. The project is working towards a better waste management system as well as formalizing the scrap sector. Scrap dealers play a significant role in the value recovery of waste. But in our society, the scrap dealing business is a stigmatized business and frowned upon to some extent. 

Through this project, UNDP is trying to increase scrap dealers’ social upstanding and aiming to provide better visibility towards the scrap sector. UNDP has provided the necessary training for the scrap dealers. They also created two associations through which the scrap dealers got a formal space. Furthermore, they provided them with ID cards, professional attire, and grant money. Scrap dealers also got promotional tools like signboards in front of their shops. All association members have been provided with ID cards as well as vests for improving their visibility and identification in the community. IDs is a highly recommended measure proposed by ILO to reduce children’s engagement in the recycling sector. A total of 110 vests for the Ukhiya association and 256 vests for Teknaf were distributed. The use of The Scrap dealers association has been integrated within the Municipal/Union/Camp SWM system through different policy/procedures.

ID Cards of the Association Members

The project provided the scrap dealers from Ukhiya and Teknaf with integrated training. They learned about the value chain methods of scrap business and the proper usage of safety equipment. They also understood the legal rules and regulations to avoid any illegal activity. Leanings from these training will affect their personality and their business. That would automatically contribute to better visibility of this sector. 

The associations in two areas have created a professional outlook of the business. The sector is becoming more organized and coordinated. Everyone can make a unified decision for their business and society. This newfound professionalism has become pretty evident in their societies. 

Before this project, the scrap dealers of Ukhiya and Teknaf didn’t have any proper identification. They rarely used any protective tools. Now, they have ID cards with appropriate designations. They have an identity in this society. They are also using better protective tools like gloves, vests, etc. 

Grant money arranged by UNDP helped their businesses during the covid period. With the grant money, they could focus on their business entirely. They are working on the market gaps, which were unimaginable a few years ago. 

Without any proper promotion, no venture would be successful. The signboard in front of all the scrap shops was a perfect example of a good business. It also creates good faith among the people and scrap dealers. The scrap business is getting more profits every day and getting everyone’s approval more and more.