Following the conclusion of Bangladesh’s national election, the aftermath left the streets inundated with discarded posters, banners, and promotional materials, posing environmental concerns across the nation. The Environment and Social Development Organization (ESDO) approximated a staggering 27,000 tons of election-related plastic waste, including posters, banners, cards, and leaflets.
Addressing this ecological challenge innovatively, the Bidyanondo Foundation, renowned for its altruistic endeavors, has embarked on a mission to repurpose this election waste into valuable educational resources. Drawing inspiration from their successful initiatives during the 2020 city corporation election, the foundation is diligently collecting discarded election materials to breathe new life into them.
Faruque Ahmed, Vice Chairman of Bidyanondo Foundation, elaborated on their transformative approach, stating, “We are converting discarded paper posters into essential study materials, crafting notebooks for 1,000 students across our orphanages, schools, and learning centers.” Moreover, the foundation ingeniously utilizes laminated posters and plastic materials to fabricate market bags and other essential items, bolstering local cottage industries and supporting artisans with necessary materials like ropes and twines.
Highlighting the broader impact of this initiative, Ahmed remarked, “With thousands of underprivileged children in Bangladesh deprived of educational essentials, our project endeavors to alleviate this challenge by transforming election waste into notebooks.”
Children like Halima and Afsana exemplify the beneficiaries of this innovative endeavor. Hailing from challenging circumstances, both Halima and Afsana expressed their exhilaration upon receiving notebooks crafted from recycled election materials, underscoring the initiative’s tangible impact on their educational journey.
Detailing the distribution strategy, Ahmed disclosed, “We plan to distribute these recycled notebooks to approximately 400 students across seven Bidyanondo-affiliated orphanages, in addition to students from Bidyanondo schools and learning centers in various regions.” This ambitious initiative aims to address three months of the students’ annual notebook requirements, epitomizing Bidyanondo’s commitment to environmental sustainability and educational empowerment.
The foundation’s dedicated volunteers have been tirelessly collecting and processing street poster waste since the election’s culmination. Leveraging trucks equipped with ladders and cutters in cities like Dhaka and Chittagong, Bidyanondo actively encourages public participation, urging citizens to contribute unused posters to amplify the initiative’s impact. This commendable effort seamlessly integrates environmental stewardship with social responsibility, exemplifying Bidyanondo Foundation’s unwavering dedication to fostering positive change in Bangladesh’s communities.
