Sludge Management in the Textile Industries of Bangladesh: An Industrial Survey of the Impact of the 2015 Standards and Guidelines

The textile sector of Bangladesh has positively contributed to a significant impact on its national economy and employment opportunities due to its rapid growth. The increasing number of wet processing units has led to a growing amount of wastewater volume as well as textile sludge (a byproduct of wastewater or effluent treatment plants). In 2015, the government of Bangladesh instituted the “Bangladesh Standards and Guidelines for Sludge Management”. Therefore, this case study aimed to assess these standards’ impact on the textile industry’s sludge management practices, informing academic scholars of the research opportunities available, and serving as a policymaking tool for various other South Asia and Southeast Asia economies. The sludge management situation of thirty-six industries (namely, twelve dyeing, twelve printing, and twelve washing) was herein assessed through a self-administered questionnaire survey of respondents from the respective ‘Top Management’ and ‘Environmental Chemical Responsible’ (ECR) departments. Among the findings, the assessment revealed that neither treatment procedures nor reuse and recycling activities are present for sludge management in any of the studied industries. The responsible personnel from the textile industries have not undergone any level of technical training, and 41.7% of the printing industries still dump sludge in the open environment. The majority (83%) of stakeholders are unaware of the dangers and potential effects of improper sludge treatment. The key factors—responsibility, knowledge, behavior, and consideration—analyzed in this study, together with the study’s recommendations, will be a vital step forward in formulating policy advocacy for hazardous sludge management within the textile sector of Bangladesh.