Increase in use of biodegradable krathongs pleases Bangkok governor

The eco-friendly message seems to be getting through as Bangkok Governor, Asawin Kwanmuang, reports an increase in the use of krathongs made from biodegradable materials.

The Nation reports that following yesteday’s celebration of the Loy Krathong festival in the city, the governor praised residents for their use of environmentally-friendly krathongs, a marked departure from the use of Styrofoam and other materials considered hazardous to the marine ecosystem and environment as a whole.

The festival was marked across the city, with 30 parks opened especially for the event and a celebration held under Rama VIII Bridge in Bang Phlat district and Klong Ong Ang in Phra Nakhon district.

Krathongs that were set afloat by residents were later collected by the city’s Environment Department and Irrigation Department among others, with the governor speaking after seeing the results of that work.

“Staffs and volunteers finished collecting and separating krathongs at 6.00am today. This year we collected 502,024 krathongs, 96.3% of them or 483,264 krathongs made from natural materials, while 3.7% or 18,760 krathongs were made of foam.”

The governor added that there were over 40% fewer krathongs set afloat this year compared to 2018, but the ratio of those made from environmentally-friendly materials went up from 94.7% to 96.3%. There was a marked decrease in the use of foam, from 5.3% to 3.7%.

“Since we saw fewer krathongs in total this year, the fact that the percentage of natural material krathongs has gone up tells us that significantly more people use natural materials to make krathongs. Natural material krathongs are good for the environment. They will later be sent to Nong Khaem garbage factory to make organic fertiliser, while foam krathongs will be buried.”

SOURCE: nationthailand.com