Thailand makes PPE out of upcycled bottles
Thailand has been upcycling plastic waste into personal protective equipment - or PPE - for people at risk of coronavirus infectionin Thailand.
At a textile factory in Rayong province, which usually makes fabrics for major global brands, recycled bottles are made into threads and spun into a giant roll.
They are then weaved into fabric that gets treated to become water resistant.
Temple volunteers sew these fabrics into PPE suits for hospitals and monks, who have been cremating coronavirus victims.
Each PPE suit is made out of 18 plastic bottles.
This is Phra Maha Pranom Dhammalangkaro, abbott of Chakdaeng temple:
"There are times when it is very difficult to get hold of PPE suits. Sometimes even if you have money, you can't buy. But now we're making it out of upcycling plastic bottles, so what was trash is now valuable."
Some 18 million plastic bottles have been used since the middle of last year to make fabric for PPE, according to the factory operator.
The upcylced protective coveralls are not medical-grade.
But the abbott said they are providing at least a layer of protection for people exposed to COVID-19 and hopefully helping save the environment as well.
