Myanmar monk leads push to cut plastic waste

Ottamasara works with recycled plastic bottles at Thabarwa in Thanlyin, Yangon in Myanmar. - Reuters

YANGON (Reuters): When a prominent Buddhist monk in Myanmar noticed a surge in plastic waste generated by residents in his Yangon neighbourhood during the pandemic, he decided to do something about it.

But Abbot Ottamasara, who runs the Thabarwa meditation centre, was taken aback by the response to his request for plastic containers as a substitute for bowls used by his monastery to feed thousands of people in need.