Dhaka: The use of plastic in Bangladesh increased 80 times in past 28 years, claimed a green group, Save the Environment Movement (POBA), on Saturday.

Quoting one of its recent survey POBA mentioned that use of plastics has rose to 12 lakh metric tons in 2018 comparing to just 15 thousand metric tons in 1990.

The statistics were shared at a seminar on polythene and plastic use that POBA organized to mark the Earth Day- 2018.

The speakers at the seminar claimed the regular use of plastic products is causing serious harms to the soil, water, health, ecology, flora and fauna as well as affecting the food chain. Though Bangladesh has a law prohibiting the use of plastic bags still there is no regulation on production and managing of other plastic products, which choke environment.

Dr. Ahmed Kamruzzaman Majumdar, the Head of Environment Science Department of Stamford University of Bangladesh, read out the main article at the seminar.

He mentioned that micro plastic particle microbeads are being used in soap, facial creams, toothpastes, detergents and other toiletries and those are being spread to the environment.

He said as the particles are very minute, they can enter in fish through their foods, and thus it goes in human body which may even cause cancer.

The speakers said, last year at least five trillion plastic bags were used all over the world and only 10 percent of those were recycled while the rest were thrown to the environment.

They mentioned that every year eight million metric ton of plastic get deposited in the oceans.

The members of the group urged the government to popularize the use of jute products instead of plastic, realizing the polythene prohibition act, regulating the plastic products by forming strict law, encouraging recycle systems and creating mass awareness for proper plastic management.

The seminar was chaired by Abu Nasr Khan, the president of the organisation.

Every year, Earth Day is observed on April 22 and this year the slogan of the day is ‘End Plastic Pollution’.