Myanmar's upcycling monk leads push to cut plastic waste

Buddhist monk Ottamasara, the abbot of Thabarwa meditation center, holds a recycled plastic bottle filled with plastic bags at Thabarwa in Thanlyin in Yangon, Myanmar, September 4, 2020. REUTERS/Shew Paw Mya Tin

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.