Out-of-work hotel porter now makes sculptures from ocean pollution to earn a living

A hotel porter who lost his job due to the Covid-19 pandemic has started making unique sculptures from ocean pollution to earn a living.

Yuttana Darakai, 30, collects the waste, including drift wood and pieces of plastic, that wash up on beaches on the island of Koh Lanta in Krabi, southern Thailand.

He then turns them into beautiful models of dolphins, turtles, crabs and other marine animals.

The creative man said he was penniless after he lost his job due to the spread of the coronavirus halting tourism in the country.

He then had the idea of putting beach waste into good use to sell to restaurants, shops and at local markets.

Yuttana said: "I collected waste that was found on beaches near my house.

I started to make sculptures, sell them, and gain living expenses from them during these hard times until I can find a new job." His works are made from the trash found on beaches, such as used plastic bags, bottles, glasses and ropes.

Yutanna also takes some natural materials such as sand, rotten figs, and pieces of wood back home for his project.

Marine animals are his most popular artworks like whales and sharks sculptures that are popular with restaurants to be used as decoration.

The prices of his artworks start from 1,500 to 8,500 Baht (around 36-205 GBP) per piece, which depends on the size and how difficult they are to make.

Thailand ranked highest in a global survey for its effective handling of Covid-19 and recovery from the crisis.

There have not been any local transmissions of Covid-19 for almost three months.