Bangladesh banned the production, sale and use of polythene shopping bags through the Bangladesh Environment Conservation (Amendment) Act 2002 (Act No. 9 of 2002, inserting section 6A), after they were blamed for blocking drainage during the 1988 and 1998 floods. The ban applied in Dhaka from 1 January 2002 and nationwide from 1 March 2002, making it the world's first national plastic bag ban.
Enforcement weakened over the following two decades and polythene bags returned to widespread use. The interim government relaunched enforcement from 1 October 2024 in supermarkets and 1 November 2024 in open markets, with penalties from 1 December 2024, promoting jute and cloth alternatives; reporting in early 2026 found the drive had little effect beyond supermarkets.
Status as at September 2026: in force, with enforcement renewed since 2024 but weak. The 1 March 2002 nationwide date rests on The Daily Star alone. Dates verified against The Daily Star and The Business Standard reporting on the 2002 amendment and the 2024 relaunch on 23 September 2026.