A group of Thai monks has caught international attention for their innovative approach to reducing plastic waste: turning used bottles and bags into brand-new monastic robes and masks. The Buddhist temple of Wat Chak Daeng has been on a mission to reduce plastic waste in Thailand for years. The country suffers from the sixth-largest amount of waste in the world, and as people dedicated to serving others spiritually, the monks also felt a personal responsibility to improve their environment. At first, they tried burning plastic but soon realized the fumes were having a negative impact on the environment. They needed a different solution. “We didn’t know what to do,” Phra Maha Pranom Dhammalangkaro, the temple’s lead monk, told Great Big Story last September. “So we tried to find a resolution.” Ten years earlier, Dhammalangkaro went on an inquest to Taiwan in the hopes of learning about recycling methods. It was there, …