Fewer than seven percent of the 812,000 krathongs collected from Bangkok waterways after Friday's Loy Krathong festival were made from foam, officials said on Saturday.
Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) officials finished collecting and sorting 811,945 krathongs around 5am Saturday, governor Aswin Kwanmuang. Of the total, 93.6% or 706,019 were made from natural materials and the rest made from foam.
Authorities for years have been encouraging the public to avoid using environmentally harmful foam in favour of krathongs made from natural materials such as banana leaves.
Pol Gen Aswin said the percentage of krathongs made from natural materials was similar to the 93.3% rate recorded last year, which showed that festival goers and traders alike were concerned about environmental conservation.
Krathongs made from natural materials will be sent to an organic fertiliser plant in Nong Kham district while those made from non-organic materials will be disposed of properly in a landfill.
The total number of krathongs collected this year was 22.7% higher than the amount used in 2016. Lat Krabang, Klong Toey and Bang Khen had the largest number of collected krathongs. Pomprap Sattruphai had the lowest number.
Local and provincial administrations in all provinces were also collecting krathongs from their waterways on Saturday morning.
Krathongs await collection from the Nan River in Muang district of Phitsanulok on Saturday morning. (Photo by Chinnawat Singha)