BAGAN PLASTICS CAMPAIGN IN MYANMAR

September 9, 2024August 27, 2024 PASSION for the PLANET environment, Myanmar, plastic

Plastic is huge problem in Myanmar – plastic bags litter the road side, empty water bottles collect in ditches and the coloured wrappers of anything from soap powder to sweets catch in the long grasses, defiling an otherwise beautiful country.

In Bagan in central Myanmar, an area known for its 2000+ Buddhist monuments and one of the world’s largest archaeological sites, four men have got together to change this.

U Tint Swe, along with friends U Ye Myiot Aung, U Bo Soe and Moe Min Aung, formed the Bagan Plastics Campaign in 2014 – with the aim of reducing plastic litter, recycling as much as possible, and educating local people about the impact of this pervasive product.

These men love Bagan, its ancient history and its unique position as a giant archaeological site – and they want to see it protected. They understand that the plastic is not just unsightly, it’s also damaging the environment.

Through the campaign, plastic is collected in 60 bins placed strategically around Bagan and also direct from hotels and restaurants that have signed up to the scheme. It is then sorted, chipped, melted and formed into long rods. These rods are sent to Mandalay where they are used to create composite sheets, often used to make light walls or roofing. The Bagan Plastics Campaign receives a small amount of money for the plastic rods from the factory in Mandalay – but not enough to fully finance the project.

Khiri Travel, for example, funds the salaries of four people to collect and sort the plastic, the rest of the team is made up of around 45 volunteers who meet up for two hours early Saturday morning to help with the collection – before they head off for their jobs elsewhere.

But collecting plastic and recycling it isn’t going to solve the problem – the people of Myanmar also need to reduce their plastic use and learn to dispose of it appropriately.

In the past many food and other items were carried in bamboo; a readily available, sustainable and biodegradable product. If this was cast aside it eventually disappeared. Now plastic has replaced bamboo and other naturally occurring products, but the ‘throw it on the ground’ behaviour has not changed. So, the Bagan Plastics Campaign also visits schools to educate children about plastic and encourage them think carefully before using it and throwing it away. Hopefully a combination of pester power and a more informed next generation will reduce the amount of plastic clogging up Myanmar’s waterways and blighting her landscape.

But before that happens the Bagan Plastics Campaign needs more bins (each bin costs around $65) and more hotels to sign up. As a tourist you can help by ensuring you put your waste plastic in to one of the bins, and by asking your hotel to sign up to have their plastic waste collected. Most hotel owners still don’t understand the importance – but as a customer you have the power to convince them. So, before you book or even once you are there – ask them if they have signed up and if not, encourage them to do so.

Plastic is an issue all over the country – but in Bagan four determined men are making a noticeable difference. Let’s hope their actions will inspire others to follow suit.

FACT BOX