A Christian youth club in Padang, Indonesia, have recycled over 2,000 plastic bottles and transformed them into Christmas trees for the holiday season.

The atmosphere of Christmas celebrations in Padang City, West Sumatra, is increasingly felt, especially in the courtyard of ST Theresia Cathedral Church. There, a number of Catholic youths were busy decorating the Christmas tree in a quite unique way.

Instead of using conventional materials, they use used plastic bottles as the main material for their amazing works of art. The used plastic bottles were arranged neatly and tied together using iron wire, forming a six-meter-high Christmas tree that amazed visitors.

Chair of the Catholic Young People of St. Theresia Cathedral Church in Padang, Elvin Tjia, explained that the idea for making this Christmas tree started from the many plastic bottles piled up around it. Both from people who come to worship and other visitors.

The plastic bottles used came from donations from the congregation of the St. Theresia Cathedral Church in Padang. By using plastic bottles as the main material, Elvin hopes to increase public awareness of the dangers of excessive use of plastic.

SOT: Elvin Tjia - Chair of the Catholic Young People of ST Theresia Cathedral Church, Padang City
TC: 04.00 - 04.29

"We chose these used plastic bottles because plastic bottles, which take a very long decomposition process, have a bad impact on our earth, so instead of wasting them, we prefer to recycle them to create new innovations, especially since we are entering the Christmas season, so we are thinking about making it like it's behind now."

The Christmas tree they made used around 1,500 to 2,000 used plastic bottles. Interestingly, these bottles are left in their original color without being painted to emphasize recycling and sustainability.

This initiative not only gives a different touch to the Christmas atmosphere but also invites people to care more about the environment by reducing plastic waste.