Mayor seeks private funding for Chattogram ‘Door to Door’ waste project

Chattogram City Corporation Mayor Shahadat Hossain has called on private companies to help finance the city’s ‘Door to Door’ household waste collection project.

Speaking at a ceremony to renew an agreement on plastic waste management at the Radisson Blu Chattogram Bay View on Monday, the mayor said effective waste collection is impossible without public awareness and door-to-door services.

“We introduced the Door to Door project after careful consideration,” he said. “About 2,200 tonnes of waste are collected daily in Chattogram, while nearly 1,000 tonnes end up in canals and drains. Waste from homes, businesses and vehicles is polluting roads and waterways. Without public awareness, investment alone will not solve the problem.”

Since 2022, Unilever Bangladesh and YPSA have jointly worked with Chattogram City Corporation on plastic waste collection and recycling. The agreement was renewed on Monday to continue the initiative.

The mayor said the project was initially planned to operate through monthly service fees collected from households and businesses. However, the move faced criticism after residents objected to the charges.

“We appointed private agents for the collection work, but many people assumed the City Corporation itself was collecting the money,” he said. “We already collect waste management taxes, but not charges for collecting garbage directly from homes.”

Questioning the criticism over the fees, he asked whether a monthly charge of Tk50 to Tk100 for waste collection was unreasonable.

Mayor Shahadat said he is now exploring ways to operate the service without direct charges on residents by involving private sponsors.

“If private industrial groups support the programme, one ward may cost around Tk1 crore annually,” he said. “If companies take responsibility for several wards, the project could run without burdening residents.”

Earlier this year, private organisations were assigned responsibility for household waste collection under the programme. The city corporation later suspended the fee-based system from April following public criticism.

Highlighting the corporation’s financial challenges, the mayor said the city employs around 3,200 cleaners and spends Tk7-8 crore each month on salaries.

He also alleged that the Chittagong Port Authority has not paid Tk264 crore in holding taxes owed to the city corporation.

“All roads are being damaged by heavy vehicles. We are not asking for compensation; we want fair taxes,” he said.

At the event, Ruhul Quddus Khan, CEO and Managing Director of Unilever Bangladesh, said the company’s connection with Chattogram dates back to 1962, when its journey in Bangladesh began from Kalurghat.

Other speakers included Mohammad Arifur Rahman and Shamima Akhter.