Staff Correspondent:

Environment, Forest and Climate Change Adviser Syeda Rizwana Hasan on Wednesday said the government is working for safe, hygienic and environmentally sound waste management in Bangladesh.

She called for adopting advanced sorting, recycling, and material recovery systems to reduce waste volume, improve occupational safety for waste workers, and modernise landfill operations through international collaboration.

Rizwana made these remarks during a meeting with an expert delegation from the Sudokwon Landfill Management Corporation (SLC) of South Korea at the Bangladesh Secretariat here.

The discussion centered on technical cooperation for improving Bangladesh’s waste management system and reducing greenhouse gas emissions through the establishment of modern sanitary landfill facilities.

The Korean delegation presented a comprehensive plan for closing and rehabilitating two existing dumpsites and constructing a new sanitary landfill with support from the Korean Ministry of Environment.

The initiative will be financed through a combination of Korean grant aid and a concessional loan from relevant financial institutions, a ministry press release said.

The proposed closure of existing dumpsites is expected to take 1 to 1.5 years, followed by a 20-year post-closure monitoring period.

The Korean experts also suggested that the reclaimed sites could be transformed into public green spaces after the initial five years, depending on land settlement.

They further emphasised the importance of integrating informal waste collectors into the new waste management system to ensure safer working conditions and improved recycling outcomes.

The total cost for closing the existing dumpsites is estimated at Taka 1.4 billion, while the construction of the new sanitary landfill is projected to require an additional Taka 13 billion.

The Korean side urged Bangladesh to expedite formal requests and project documentation to activate the proposed financial support.

They also expressed strong interest in sharing best practices from the Sudokwon Landfill, the world’s largest and most efficiently managed sanitary landfill. The delegation proposed a greenhouse gas reduction initiative by applying SLC’s proven landfill closure technologies in Bangladesh.

Chief Executive Officer of Chattogram City Corporation Sheikh Muhammad Touhidul Islam, Joint Secretary of the ministry Md. Rezaul Karim, Director of SLC Seok Ou Jung and other senior officials from both countries were present at the meeting.