Myanmar's upcycling monk tackling plastic waste

Every morning Abbot Ottamasara walks the streets in Myanmar's largest city, collecting alms -- donations from Buddhists which provide the primary source of daily food for his monastery.

But there's one difference.

Instead of just food he is also given plastic waste.

"More plastic waste has been dumped on the street during a pandemic which is dirty. If we (the meditation centre) ask for donations, people will keep them (the bottles) clean. Then we can use these plastic bottles as food containers, which not only saves money, but also handles the plastic waste issue."

Authorities do not routinely organize recycling in Myanmar, and an estimated 2,500 tons of trash are thrown out every day, often dumped on roads and in waterways, or burned.

Abbot Ottamasara hopes that he can raise awareness about the plastic waste problem.

His team now receives several thousand used plastic bottles a day and recycled food containers to carry food.

Together volunteers then sort, cut, and stuff the bottles to make them more compact.

It's part of his bigger plan: To incorporate waste as building blocks and garden beds for the meditation center he oversees in Yangon.

"I intend to continue using the waste for any necessary structure at my centers as a way to not only share awareness of plastic waste but also partially solve the waste problem."

Ottamasara is also hosting workshops to process the plastic waste.

Bottle by bottle, he hopes to expand and build more meditation centers, using hanging plastic bottles to make sunshades,and a shelter using car tires packed with plastic waste.