Dhaka, Jan. 31 -- A lack of strong political will is one of the main causes behind the widespread plastic pollution in the country, despite an existing legal ban, said legal environmental expert Syeda Rizwana Hasan.

Some 3,000 factories are producing 14 million polythene bags in the country, she said, adding that the proliferation of plastic and polyethene use remains unchecked.

"From 2002 to 2004, there were almost no plastic bags available in the market, mainly due to market monitoring, officials' drives in shops [.] but now the government is walking backwards (to stop plastic use)," she explained.

The government has merely shut down some factories of plastic producers, which resulted in no major outcome, she lamented.

Hasan, Chief ...