Three Plastic Bottles Earn One Sapling: 700 Saplings Distributed in Pakundia

Hand in plastic waste and receive a tree sapling in return. To curb environmental pollution and encourage tree planting, the volunteer social organisation ‘Proyas’ in Pakundia, Kishoreganj, has taken up this unusual initiative. One sapling is given in exchange for three plastic bottles or a fixed amount of plastic waste.

The programme, titled ‘Trees in Exchange for Plastic’, was held on Friday afternoon (23 October) at the Pakundia Sadar Eidgah field. On the day, local residents arrived at the field carrying plastic bottles and other plastic waste they had saved up at home.

After depositing their waste at the designated spot, participants collected saplings of different species. Around 700 fruit, timber and medicinal saplings were distributed under the programme. Spontaneous participation by children, students, women and men from different walks of life created a festive atmosphere at the field.

The organisers said the indiscriminate use of plastic and polythene and throwing them away anywhere is severely polluting the environment. In this situation, the goal of the initiative is not only awareness campaigning, but building habits of plastic waste management and tree planting through people’s direct participation.

Raisa, a class-eight student who took part, received two saplings after depositing six plastic bottles. She said the initiative will make people conscious about plastic waste and also increase interest in planting trees. Trees give us oxygen, flowers and fruit and keep the environment beautiful, she said, thanking ‘Proyas’ for the initiative.

Housewife Ayesha took part with 12 plastic bottles. She said that after use, plastic bottles and polythene are often thrown away anywhere, harming the environment. She learned about the programme on Facebook and brought her bottles along. Saying she felt good receiving a sapling, she added that the scheme both creates an opportunity for proper plastic waste management and means a tree will be planted at home.

The organisation’s convener, Nurul Jannat Manna, said the programme was arranged to create awareness about proper management of plastic waste and to encourage people to plant trees. Around 700 saplings were distributed. The wide response from people will inspire them to continue such initiatives in the future, he said.

Pakundia municipal BNP president S A M Minhaz Uddin said the initiative by ‘Proyas’ to protect the environment is praiseworthy. Ignoring criticism, such good work and public-awareness activities need to be carried forward, he commented.

Former Bangladesh Bank executive director Mahfuzur Rahman said plastic and polythene are a long-term threat to the environment. Such waste reaches rivers and seas and damages aquatic environments. Plastic must therefore not be thrown away anywhere; proper collection, management and removal must be ensured. Initiatives of this kind can play an important role in protecting the environment, he said.

The greatest strength of the initiative is its simple condition — in exchange for a small act like depositing waste, one receives a living tree, whose care also remains the recipient’s responsibility. The programme’s impact is therefore not limited to one day’s sapling distribution; until each sapling grows, it keeps participants connected with environmental thinking.

According to the organisers, seeing the response, they plan to continue such programmes in the future. This small initiative in Pakundia has now become a practical local example of advancing two tasks together — plastic waste management and tree planting.