On 6 January 2020, the High Court (HC) of Bangladesh directed the authorities concerned to ban single-use plastic products in coastal areas, hotels, motels and restaurants across the country in one year as they are health and environmental hazards. It is noted that in spite of the January 2002 ban on polythene bags, throwaway plastic bags have been freely available across the country. So, the HC also ordered the government to strictly enforce the ban on polythene or throwaway plastic bags across the country through regular market monitoring and closure of polythene manufacturing factories. According to a study conducted in 2015 by a Social Business Enterprise in Bangladesh named “Waste Concern” a total of 821,250 tonnes of plastic waste were generated annually in urban hubs of Bangladesh, while some 207,685 tonnes were dumped in marine environments every year.

According to the research findings of the National Geographic Channel in 2018, 300 different types of plastic goods end up in the Bay of Bengal via the Padma river. Adding that in 2018, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) reported that there is dumping of 73,000 tonnes of plastic waste into the Bay of Bengal through the Padma, Jamuna and Meghna Rivers.