Faces of Asia: Loy Krathong, From Ritual to Rubbish 

Faces of Asia aims to shed light on the environmental challenges posed by the festival and explore potential solutions to ensure the preservation of tradition without harming the environment.

The environmental impact

In the olden days, krathongs were made of natural biodegradable materials such as banana leaves, flowers, and bamboo pins. Over time, the use of readily available materials like foam, ribbons, and metal pins has become commonplace.

Unfortunately, these non-biodegradable elements pose a severe threat to aquatic life when released into rivers, oceans and klongs.

Plastic does not decompose. When tiny plastic fragments find their way into a river, fish and other aquatic life mistake them for food. When they eat the plastic, they start to bloat and eventually pass away, said Dr Panuwatt Ontes, the director of the Solid Waste Management Service Division, Bangkok

Metropolitan Administration

Plastics and non-biodegradable materials from these krathongs can accumulate in water bodies, harming fish and other aquatic creatures.

This reality raises concerns about the long-term sustainability of the festival and its impact on the environment.

The BMA reported that approximately 640,000 krathongs were released in Bangkok alone this year; the figure does not include Thailand’s 76 other provinces, which do not have proper waste management systems.

According to the BMA, 96.74% of krathongs were made from natural and environmentally friendly materials, which is an improvement over the previous year.

The aftermath

Panuwatt told The Nation that all krathongs must be gathered by 5 o'clock the following day. “Certain canals lack a waste management system; all waste from there ends up in the ocean.”

Then they were sorted by hand because things such as metal pins have to be extracted manually before sending krathongs to the next process. This part of the segregation process always results in injuries to the officials.

One district of Bangkok alone can produce 10 kilograms of metal pins. So, for the Bangkok float, about 500 kilograms of metal pins were used.

All biodegradable krathongs are sent to a fertilizer factory, and the end product is mostly used later for plants along the roads or trees maintained by the BMA.

Proposed solutions

Many festival participants, especially young adults and teenagers, told The Nation that they take part in the festival to enjoy the vibes rather than add more waste to the river by floating krathongs.

The Bangkok city administration is also encouraging a change in public participation. This year, tourists could float krathongs digitally in a real canal. This is how the digital krathongs worked: Festival participants could doodle their designs on paper, write their names and make their wishes. This image was scanned and transformed into a digital krathong and displayed in the Ong Ang canal.

This idea was initiated by Tom, a member of the Bangkok Creative Economy Committee. It was first displayed at Awakening Bangkok 2022, before the BMA implemented it for the Loi Krathong Festival this year.

While many Thai people value the tradition and cultural significance of Loy Krathong, there is a growing consensus that changes must be made.

Balancing tradition with environmental responsibility is crucial to ensuring the festival's continuity for future generations.

The Loy Krathong Festival is a cherished tradition deeply ingrained in Thai culture. However, the environmental impact of the festival cannot be overlooked.

Let us cherish the festival's essence while embracing the call for sustainability and environmental stewardship.