Amid COVID surge, Sri Lankans use cardboard coffins for cremation

Coffins initially used mostly for COVID victims but have become more popular among those concerned about environment.

At a factory in Sri Lanka’s Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia city, workers use staples and glue to assemble long cardboard boxes, which will be used as coffins for some of the country’s coronavirus victims. The coffin is made out of recycled paper and costs a sixth of the cheapest wooden one, according to 51-year old Priyantha Sahabandu, the local government official who first came up with the idea. As Sri Lanka’s death toll from COVID-19 surges, some are opting for these cardboard coffins when they cremate their loved ones.