Thailand boasts over 20,000 Buddhist temples scattered all over the country, but Wat Pa Maha Chedi in the northeastern part of the country is the only one made entirely of recycled beer bottles. Sometimes referred to as Wat Lan Kuad or Temple Of A Million Bottles, this unique architectural and recycling feat has already been named as an eco-friendly destination in Southeast Asia.

The ad hoc recycling program began in the mid-eighties when one of the monks at the temple was tired of seeing bottles being littered around the countryside. The monk asked the local people to clean up the litter and bring him the old bottles, with which he and the other monks would build a temple complex.

Since then, over a million bottles have been collected and used to construct 20 different buildings on the temple grounds. The temple, the water tower, the monks’ quarters, bathrooms, and crematorium were all constructed with whole brown and green beer bottles held together with concrete.

The bottles are also good building material because they’re fade-resistant, easy to clean, and provide good lighting. Even the bottle caps have been made into mosaics of various Buddhist images in the complex.

The monks plan to continue with their bottle collection, and the abbot has expressed, “The more bottles we get, the more buildings we make.”

Recycling and conservation efforts have historically been initiated by packaging producers and environmental organizations in Thailand. However, as the economy develops and cities modernize, the government has taken concerted steps to develop better infrastructure and facilities to encourage conservation.

In 1994 the Thailand Environment Institute (TEI) in association with the Ministry of Industry launched the Thai Green Label Scheme, which certifies products that have been produced with minimum impact on the environment. The scheme is developed to promote resource conservation, pollution reduction, and waste management.