Indonesian students use puppets to banish 'big ghost' of plastic waste

Puppets made out of plastic waste are displayed in a primary school in Mataram on Lombok island, Indonesia August 16, 2019. Picture taken August 16, 2019. Mandatory credit Sasak Puppeteer School/Handout via REUTERS

JAKARTA (Reuters) - The scene is much like any other Indonesian puppet show: the beat of the gongs is frenetic, the musicians wear intricately-patterned traditional costumes and the puppets sway back and forth in a fast-paced exchange laced with maniacal laughter.

But the puppets have bottle-cap noses and long, pink hair made from shredded plastic bags, and are being manipulated by schoolchildren taking their show on the road to the capital, Jakarta, from their home on the central island of Lombok.