A common excuse for littering is that there are not enough garbage bins on the streets.

But there are rickshaws all over the streets and alleys of the capital.

Why not start collecting plastic waste behind rickshaws and later recycle them?

In an effort to curb the plastic pollution in Dhaka city, Bidyanondo Foundation has started the "Rickshaw Bin" initiative.

According to a post on Bidyanondo's verified Facebook page, people can throw non-biodegradable plastic, paper and polythene waste in the rickshaw bin.

The three-wheelers will be equipped with attractively coloured waste bags.

This initiative will help reduce the city's plastic pollution and the recyclable plastic waste will provide financial support for the rickshaw driver.

Meetings are being held with rickshaw-pullers in various areas of the capital to make them aware of the initiative and tell them how to sell the plastic to be recycled, Bidyanondo said in one of their posts.

"Bidyanondo wanted to come up with a solution and not excuses. In cities where rickshaws are widely available, now you can throw your trash in bins attached to the rickshaws," the organisation said in a comment on its Facebook page.

"These unique and creatively made colorful bins will collect plastic and can be a means of added income for the rickshaw pullers as they deposit the plastic. This will also help save the environment and keep our cities clean of plastic waste," Bidyanondo said.

Contacted, Kishore Kumar Das, founder of Bidyanondo Foundation, told The Daily Star that they have piloted the project in capital's Mirpur area from Tuesday with 50 rickshaws.

"We have just floated the idea. Now, the government and other non-government organisations can come forward to implement it. This idea can be replicated in public buses too as there are no bins in the public buses," he said.

Kishore also said it was not possible for Bidyanondo to scale up the project massively as they don't have that capacity.