Turning trash into ‘treasure’ and saving lives too

Protective material: Discarded plastic bottles at a collection point in Bangkok before being upcycled into PPE at the weaving factory. — Reuters

WITH an abundance of plastic waste but a scarcity of personal protective equipment (PPE), Thailand is turning trash into treasure by upcycling bottles into protective clothing for people at risk of coronavirus infection.

Millions of plastic bottles have been collected, shredded and turned into threads to be weaved into fabrics eventually used for PPE, either for hospitals or Buddhist temples, where monks have been cremating coronavirus victims.