Thailand is the first Asian country to join Upcycling the Oceans, a campaign aimed at cleaning the oceans of debris. The Tourism Authority of Thailand launched Upcycling the Oceans, Thailand with support from PTT Global Chemical and the Ecoalf Foundation. The opening ceremony was held in the Khao Laem Ya Mu Ko Samet Marine National Park off the coast of Rayong province.
Within only five hours, local volunteers, including fishermen and divers, collected nearly seven tons of plastic waste, ranging from bottles to fishing nets which had washed up on beaches. The plastic debris harvested from the ocean is turned into thread to make fabrics.
Other Asian countries are expected to adopt this environmental initiative. Ecoalf Foundation estimates are that more than 8 million tons of trash flow into the world’s oceans each year, around 60% of which originates from Asia.