We all know that recycling is good for the planet in the long run, but now, in a more immediate way, it's also being used to save lives as plastic waste is being transformed into PPE for workers on the frontlines of the pandemic.

At Thai Taffeta, a textile factory near Bangkok, Thailand, a mountain of discarded plastic bottles has been broken down into filaments which are then woven into a water-resistant fabric used to make personal protective equipment (PPE) suits.

In addition to the PPE designated for hospitals, the safeguarding outfits are also being distributed to non-medical personnel at high risk for exposure to the virus.

A good portion of the fabric—dyed in the sect's iconic red-orange hue—has been sent to Thailand's Buddhist temples, where monks are overseeing the cremation of coronavirus victims.

"There are times where it is very difficult to get hold of PPE suits, sometimes even if you have money, you can't buy [them]," Abbot Phra Maha Pranom Dhammalangkaro of Samut Prakan province's Chakdaeng temple explained to Reuters.

It takes approximately 18 bottles to make each PPE suit. An estimated 18 million bottles have been collected and recycled thus far.

"We're saving lives and the environment as well," Thai Taffeta's head of sales and marketing Arnuphap Chompuming told Reuters—which just goes to show that what's good for the people is what's good for the planet—and vice-versa.

WATCH the video about this story from Reuters below.)

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