BANGKOK, Nov 23 (TNA) – Massive cleanup takes place to
collect small floats or krathongs that revelers released in waterways for Loy
Krathong celebration.
Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) has deployed 40
vessels to collect krathong floats from the Chao Phraya River and canals right
after the Loy Krathong Festival Thursday night.
At a collection point near the Memorial Bridge, workers have
sorted krathongs by types for recycling.
The number of krathongs made of natural and biodegradable
materials is increasing as authorities have campaigned for. But there are still many of them made of
styrofoam and plastic.
Last year, the BMA collected over 800,000 krathongs, over 90
percent of them were made of natural materials such as banana trunk and leave
or sugar cane. BMA officials said these
krathongs would be turned into fertilizer.
Keeping the ancient tradition and festive, revelers have
also joined hands in environment conservation efforts by releasing one krathong
per one family to reduce the number of floats.(TNA)
