Volunteers in Myanmar build a library for orphans out of disca | The world is good

Volunteers in Myanmar build a library for orphans out of discarded plastic

Myanmar’s Ayeyarwady River intercepts an estimated 119 tons of plastic waste per day, making it one of the most polluted waterways in the world. It is not uncommon to see plastic waste littered on the country’s roadsides and clogging up sewage drains.

The excess of plastic litter inspired volunteers from the NGO Clean Yangon to start a construction project that would repurpose local plastic waste into building materials. The project, which is a library for orphaned children in the neighborhood of Taikkyi, started in December 2020 and has recently been completed.

The volunteers received trash donations from local communities and used them to make eco-bricks by filling plastic bottles with more plastic waste. The completed structure is comprised of 5,000 of these eco-bricks, each of which takes approximately one hour to make. As the group worked, the children were able to see and learn from the construction process.

The volunteers expressed their hope that from their efforts, the kids would learn to be innovative when thinking of sustainable and eco-friendly solutions to protect the planet.

Other similar initiatives have taken root in Myanmar. The Badana Aid Foundation is also building an eco-brick school in Hlaingthaya Township in Yangon, which is expected to be completed in July of this year.