The gate of a Durga puja mandap in Jashore town has been made out of more than 7,000 empty plastic water and soft drink bottles to create public awareness about the environmental impacts of using plastic products.
Residents of Gorapara in Jashore town made the fancy decorations at the mandap in Ward 5 of Jashore Municipal Area with the slogan "ban plastic".
About 50 yards from the gate is the Gorapara temple, where around 120 families worship.
Temple committee President Bharat Das said, "We, the residents of Gorapara, make special arrangements for the visitors every year. This year, we collected plastic bottles, which are harmful for the environment, and used those in decorating the main gate.
"These bottles will be destroyed after the puja. Through this we are trying to warn people against using plastic," he said.
Dipankar Das, general secretary of the temple committee, said, "We have one message for the people of our own area and people of the entire country -- ban plastic as it is harmful for the environment."
The water bottles of different colours have been collected over the last six months by local youths. Some bottles also had to be purchased to complete the decoration.
It took two months and cost Tk 40,000 to complete the unique gate.
Sajib Das, the main craftsman who built the gates, said, "A total of 7,201 empty bottles have been used for this gate, most of which are transparent."
Apart from this, about 15 kgs of nails, 10 kgs of wire and about 30 cubic feet of wooden battens were used.
