One of the frequent complaints we hear about the urban landscape in Dhaka is the omnipresent trash. This is partly due to lack of awareness—I have seen someone cheerfully throw a plastic bottle into a lake—but it is also due to a lack of proper places for trash disposal.

To address the problem, HealthBridge’s partner Work for a Better Bangladesh (WBB) Trust asked the Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC) to provide trash bins in the streets. DNCC was willing, but wanted more specific suggestions including on the design of the bins.

Finally WBB created a model trash bin and suggested where to place them and how to establish a proper maintenance system to ensure that the bins are regularly emptied. In response, DNCC has agreed to place 3,000 of them. We hope that Dhaka South City Corporation will follow suit...and that others will realize that sometimes it just takes an extended conversation with government officials to bring about a needed change.