By Obidul Islam – Programme Manager, UNOPS, Khadem Mahmud Yusuf – Managing Director and CEO of Bangladesh Petrochemical Company Limited (BPCL), Bushra Nishat – Environmental Specialist at the World Bank
In the riverside town of Rupganj, just outside Dhaka, a quiet revolution is reshaping the lives of people and the fate of plastic waste. Every morning, workers—many of them once invisible waste pickers—arrive at a modest yet transformative recycling facility. Here, they are met not with danger or exploitation, but with protective equipment, digital tools, mobile payments, and, perhaps most importantly, recognition.
This is the promise of the Recycling Business Unit (RBU) model—a grassroots, technologically enabled approach redefining how Bangladesh tackles plastic pollution. By placing dignity, inclusion, and innovation at its core, this model is showing that circular economy solutions can also be deeply human.
Bangladesh generates over 3,000 tonnes of plastic waste daily. More than 1,000 tonnes of it leak into rivers and eventually flow into the Bay of Bengal. Ranked among the world’s top ten countries for plastic mismanagement, the environmental and public health risks are significant.
At the heart of the recycling chain are informal waste pickers—often women—who collect, sort, and trade plastic in unsafe, exploitative conditions. They face hazardous environments, irregular income, and little to no access to health care or legal protection.
Only about 35% of urban plastic is currently recycled. The remainder is burned, dumped, or left to pollute ecosystems. And in many national policies and donor strategies, the workers doing the hardest labour are too often left out of the picture.
In response, Bangladesh Petrochemical Company Ltd. (BPCL), a grantee of the Plastic Free Rivers and Seas for South Asia (PLEASE) project, implemented by the South Asia Cooperative Environment Programme (SACEP), the World Bank, and UNOPS, introduced a bold new initiative: the Recycling Business Unit (RBU) model.
RBUs are decentralized plastic pre-processing hubs located in coastal towns, urban outskirts, and riverside areas most affected by plastic leakage. BPCL is setting up seven Recycling Business Units (RBUs) under the PLEASE project in the following locations: Rupganj and Shiddhirganj in Narayanganj, as well as Chattogram, Cumilla, Feni, Bogura, and Cox’s Bazar. RBUs are designed to serve three critical functions:
Equipped with safety gear, washrooms, childcare support, and on-site medical services, these facilities transform what recycling work can—and should—look like. Most importantly, mobile payments replace risky cash transactions, enabling transparency and financial inclusion.
“I used to work in unsafe places with no protection,” says Salma Begum , a waste worker in Cox’s Bazar. “Now I earn regularly, have access to healthcare and childcare. and I’ve joined a savings group. For the first time, I feel respected.”
RBUs are more than job sites—they are platforms for empowerment. Women workers are trained in digital literacy and small business skills, with many now managing sourcing networks or operating microenterprises.
Since their inception in September 2023, RBUs have delivered measurable results:
The RBU model shows that recycling can be more than a technical fix. It can be a social contract—rooted in fairness, powered by trust, and driven by the communities most affected. For countries grappling with similar challenges across South Asia and beyond, it provides a practical, adaptable blueprint.
This isn’t just a story of bottles and bins—it’s a story of systems change. One that puts dignity at the heart of environmental action and offers real hope in a world often overwhelmed by crisis.
New features will be introduced that are not part of the current PLEASE project, but are being considered for potential opportunities in the next phase.
As the Plastic Free Rivers and Seas for South Asia (PLEASE) project nears its end, BPCL is preparing for the model’s next leap: converting recycled PET into polyester yarn for the country’s textile sector. If scaled successfully, it could dramatically reduce the quantity of imported yarn manufactured from the fossil fuel based virgin plastic and integrate recycled materials into one of Bangladesh’s largest export industries.
This shift aligns environmental goals with economic value creation—transforming plastic from waste to resource and linking informal workers to high-value chain global markets.
The planned expansion by early 2027 envisions scaling up to 20 RBUs between August 2025 and January 2027, potentially enabled through strategic partnerships.
What sets the RBU model apart is its long-term vision. A franchise-based approach is in development, enabling local entrepreneurs to run RBUs with buyback guarantees, quality standards, and training support.
This bottom-up strategy ensures sustainability beyond donor cycles—and opens the door for replication across South Asia.
Already, municipalities are partnering with RBUs to manage plastic from hotels and restaurants. Local waste syndicates are giving way to formal, transparent systems. Plastic is no longer just waste—it’s a livelihood and a source of empowerment.
The RBU model is transforming more than just recycling—it’s reshaping entire systems. It’s about moving from informality to structure, from pollution to prosperity, and from invisibility to dignity.
This shift has begun to inspire change at the municipal level. Local governments are partnering with RBUs to collect waste from restaurants and hotels, replacing informal waste collection practices with transparent, trackable systems. In doing so, plastic waste is no longer just discarded; it is seen as a valuable resource, driving livelihoods and fostering reinvention.
The RBU model offers a proven, practical solution for countries across the Global South struggling with plastic pollution and informal labour.
Its key principles—formalising workers, using digital payments for transparency, and ensuring traceability—are adaptable across contexts.
In a region where climate vulnerability meets rapid urbanisation, this model shows that solutions rooted in dignity and innovation can have outsized impact.
Plastic pollution is among the most visible signs of environmental collapse. But Bangladesh’s experience shows that the solution is not only about waste—but about people.
When we invest in systems that protect both people and the planet, every bottle becomes more than just trash—it becomes a symbol of renewal, fairness, and opportunity.
And every person who picks up that bottle? A quiet hero, building a better future.
