Myanmar volunteers built a stunning library for orphans from plastic waste

 Library for orphaned children in Yangon, Myanmar.  Picture taken on January 29, 2021
Library for orphaned children in Yangon, Myanmar. Picture taken on January 29, 2021 Copyright AFP
By Doloresz Katanich with AFP
Share this articleComments
Share this articleClose Button
Copy/paste the article video embed link below:Copy to clipboardCopied

Volunteers made eco-bricks by filling discarded bottles with other plastic waste

ADVERTISEMENT

Volunteers have built a library for orphans in Yangon, Myanmar, using recycled plastic waste.

The project at Taikkyi, a neighbourhood in the north of Myanmar's biggest city, started in December 2020 as a venture of the NGO Clean Yangon. Using rubbish donations from the local community, the team made eco-bricks by filling plastic bottles with other plastic waste.

Volunteers were hoping to welcome young readers in early 2021 but the opening has been indefinitely deferred by Myanmar's coup.

In Myanmar, discarded plastic bags and bottles often litter roadsides and clog drains.

It's estimated that 119 tonnes of plastic waste enter the country's Ayeyarwady River every day, making it one of the most polluted waterways in the world, according to a survey conducted by Fauna & Flora International (FFI) and Thant Myanmar.

The library isn't the only initiative in the country that aims to recycle plastic waste into building materials.

Myanmar's Badana Aid Foundation is building an eco-brick school in Hlaingthaya Township in Yangon. It's expected to be finished in July and will have three classrooms to cater for up to 90 pupils.

Click on the video player above to learn more about the library for orphans in Yangon.

Share this articleComments

You might also like