Buddhist Temple Collects Plastic Waste From Devotees, Recycles It Into Robes For Monks

From schools accepting plastic waste as fees, public buses encouraging passengers to give plastic cups and bottles as ticket fare to eateries offering free meals to customers who bring in disposable items for recycling, people are doing their bit to curb this menace that’s polluting our planet.

According to NY Post, the Buddhist temple of Wat Chak Daeng in Samut Prakan province near Bangkok, Thailand, recycles plastic waste into polyester fibers to make robes for monks.

Phra Maha Pranom Dhammalangkaro, the 54-year-old abbot of the temple was quoted saying,

“I’m practicing the Buddha’s teachings, which also align with solving the global environmental crisis. Donating one kilogram of plastic bottles can help make a full set of monk robes, which has a high return value, both in terms of money and merits.”

He also urges devotees to donate plastic waste by adding,

“If you don’t collect these plastics, where do they end up? In the stomachs of dugongs, dolphins, whales and many other sea animals. Then they die.”

The Times of India reports that the temple has successfully recycled 40 tonnes of plastic waste in the last 2 years which would have otherwise ended up in the nearby Chao Phraya River.

To date, 800 sets of robes have been manufactured and the proceeds from the sales are utilized to pay for the machine presses and volunteers who sort the waste, spin the yarn and weave it into fabric.

Kudos, for creating awareness about plastic pollution and showing the community a way to curb it.

Cover Image Source – left, right