Month: November 2023

Over the last year, WG III investigated various processes and activities at the Rajbandh open dump site, the only active final waste disposal site for Khulna city. Now, the team will start monitoring and quantifying plastic emissions in the form of wind-blown litter and washed-out material. On 13.11.2023, the WG III team, Pangkaj Kumar, Salahuddin Setu, Tasnova Imam, Saptarshi Mondal and Senta Berner visited the disposal site and outlined a first monitoring protocol, as well as necessary improvements along the fence line and embankments to ensure quantifiable sample collection. The team also tested a drone which will be part of the monitoring, especially to gauge the impact of extreme weather events on waste body movement and plastic emissions.

On the 9th of November 2023, the civil engineering faculty of KUET inaugurated their new research hub building. The building will host the SCIP Plastics Knowledge Transfer Hub, including all working group members and the Waste Lab. Prof. Eckhard Kraft and Gregor Biastoch joined the celebration as special guests and speakers in the inauguration panel.
The hub building and its facilities are fully dedicated to the research field of solid and plastic waste management showing KUET’s commitment to address this issue in the coming years.

The 3rd Board of Directors meeting was hosted by the CUET SCIP-team and took place in Cox’s Bazar on the 4th of November. The project leaders, Prof. Eckhard Kraft (BUW), Prof. Farzana Zuthi (CUET), Prof. Rafizul Islam (KUET) and Mr. Abir Ul Jabbar (KCC), as well as scientific experts reviewed and discussed the project progress presented by the working group leads and heads of the waste lab and awareness center. As an extraordinary member of the scientific expert panel, Prof. Jörg Londong (BUW) gave valuable insights to further improve project outputs.

As representatives of the SCIP-team, the BUW team participated in the networking meeting of the funding program “Marine:DeFRAG” on October 16, 2023, organized by Zukunft – Umwelt – Gesellschaft (ZUG) gGmbH. The one-day event provided a platform for intense exchange of experiences and discussions on innovative solutions. The event particularly focused on discussing various monitoring methods and the intelligent use of eco-design and alternative materials.

The morning session was dedicated to intensive exchanges on the topic of “Monitoring”. Project implementers presented their diverse approaches to the investigation of different plastic fractions, leading to inspiring discussions and synergies. After the lunch break, the afternoon continued with a focus on “Waste prevention through intelligent use of eco-design and alternative materials”.

The event emphasized the role of participants as central actors who shared their experiences through short presentations. This interactive form of exchange not only facilitated the sharing of best practices but also promoted collective reflection on challenges and solutions.

The successful networking meeting strengthened collaboration and the joint effort against marine litter. We look forward to integrating the insights gained into our ongoing project and continuing to actively contribute to addressing this global environmental crisis.

From October 1^st to 3^rd, the Awareness Centre team comprising Sheikh Enjamamul Haque, Ankon Singh, Fahima Akter, S. M. Nahin Rahaman, Md. Mobashar Hossain and Md. Shimul, along with ISOE researchers Dr.-Ing. Martin Zimmermann and Jonathan Pillen, facilitated two workshops. The main objective was to develop future visions for sustainable plastic waste management in Khulna.

Stakeholders from different fields of expertise came together to create visual maps of the most important aspects of plastic waste management in Khulna. In a first session, the current situation was discussed and mapped, with a particular focus on problematic aspects that might currently hinder more sustainable solutions, e.g. lack of awareness or lack of infrastructure. In a second session, these ‘problem maps’ were used as a starting point. Participants then identified necessary changes to the current system to achieve a sustainable and desirable future vision of plastic waste management in Khulna. Both workshops – the first in English, the second in Bangla – were successful not only in terms of the scientific data generated, but also in terms of the knowledge transfer and a shared understanding among the various participants. And last but not least: The use of constellation analysis combined with a world café format resulted in a mindful exchange and even some fun.