Bangkok hauls in 390k krathongs after quieter festival night
Eco-friendly materials dominate float cleanup across the capital
City Hall workers in Bangkok collected over 390,000 krathong floats after the Loy Krathong Festival, marking a notable drop from the previous year’s total.
Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) officials collected a total of 391,027 krathong floats from canals, rivers and lakes across the capital following last night’s (November 5) Loy Krathong festival, a 24% drop compared to the same event last year.
BMA spokesperson Ekwaranyu Amrapal said the mass recovery effort began at 8pm and continued until 5am today, November 6, with teams deployed in all 50 of the city’s districts.
“This year, the majority of krathongs collected, around 83%, were made from natural materials such as banana leaves and trunks, which can be repurposed as compost.
“However, around 7% were still made from Styrofoam, which marks a 1.1 percentage point increase from last year. The remaining 10% were crafted from bread.”
Despite ongoing public awareness campaigns promoting eco-friendly materials, the slight rise in Styrofoam floats remains a concern for environmental officials. Styrofoam is non-biodegradable and must be sent to landfills for safe disposal.
The overall drop in krathong numbers, down from 514,590 in 2024, is attributed to growing environmental awareness and the growing popularity of digital alternatives.
This year, the BMA once again encouraged celebrants to opt for digital krathongs through the Greener Bangkok website, allowing users to symbolically float their krathongs in virtual recreations of 34 public parks and along the Chao Phraya River near Iconsiam.
A total of 23,347 digital krathongs were launched online, Ekwaranyu confirmed, describing it as “a promising sign that more people are considering environmentally friendly ways to celebrate.”
The collected floats are currently being sorted. Biodegradable krathongs will be converted into compost for use in BMA green spaces, while non-recyclable materials such as Styrofoam will be sent for controlled disposal, according to Bangkok Post.
The BMA has urged the public to continue choosing natural or digital alternatives in future festivals to help reduce waste and protect Bangkok’s waterways.
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