Plastic cups runneth over at Cambodia's Rubbish Cafe

SUMMARY

About 80 lakh tonnes of plastic make their way to the ocean each year, according to a 2015 report co-authored by environmental campaigner Ocean Conservancy. As Southeast Asia grapples with massive tides of rubbish hitting its beaches, a Cambodian coffee shop owner is looking to build a business out of some of this waste as a way to promote sustainability. Ouk Vanday runs "Rubbish Cafe", a small wooden structure on the outskirts of Phnom Penh reinforced with walls made out of beer and plastic water bottles. The cafe spells its name with dead leaves on its signboard.

By ReutersJul 18, 2019 10:21:07 AM IST (Updated)

Tourists visit a coffee shop called Rubbish Cafe, at the Kirirom National Park in Kampong Speu province, Cambodia. As Southeast Asia grapples with massive tides ofrubbishhitting its beaches, a Cambodian coffee shop owner is looking to build a business out of some of this waste as a way to promote sustainability. REUTERS/Lach Chantha

Ouk Vanday, the founder of the Coconut School which teaches English and good waste management, smiles at his Rubbish Cafe coffee shop at the Kirirom National Park in Kampong Speu province. Ouk Vanday runs "Rubbish Cafe", a small wooden structure on the outskirts of Phnom Penh reinforced with walls made out of beer and plastic water bottles. The cafe spells its name with dead leaves on its signboard. REUTERS/Lach Chantha

Customers can buy a cup of coffee for either 6,000 riels ($1.50) or 100 plastic cups, which go towards the cafe's construction and other projects. REUTERS/Lach Chantha

A girl prepares vases with flowers at the Rubbish Cafe, a coffee shop made of rubbish, at the Kirirom National Park in Kampong Speu province. REUTERS/Lach Chantha

Owner of Rubbish Cafe Ouk Vanday and men work on his coffee shop made out of rubbish. REUTERS/Lach Chantha