Overuse of plastic is one of the biggest environmental concerns of the moment. From single-use shopping bags to mountains of plastic water bottles, plastic is a real problem — especially given that the material lasts a long time in a landfill. In fact, plastic is a real problem for the ocean ecosystem. There is a floating plastic waste island in the Pacific Ocean bigger than many countries of the world.
Lawmakers in Singapore are responding to plastic waste and overuse by taking aim at retailers who distribute the bags with shoppers’ purchases. In many locations around the world, single-use plastic bags are banned completely. For now, leaders are eyeing a plan to make retailers report the number of plastic bags that are used on the premises. This is on par with other current efforts to analyze how much waste businesses are producing in Singapore. Already, new dine-in options will not allow plastic disposable utensils.
The art world in Singapore has also responded, using plastic waste to construct a giant public art piece. The caterpillar volunteers created stretches 120 meters and was made from plastic bottles. Organizers aim for the installation to raise awareness of plastic waste and the way it can pile up when not recycled or purchased responsibly. A total of 18,000 plastic bottles were used to make the sculpture.
The artwork is an installation in progress. As a way to maintain public interest in the piece and topic, more and more plastic bottles will be added to the installation. Plastic bottle flowers are in the works, as are other shapes and figures.
The plastic art installations are a good way to raise awareness of the proper recycling of plastic. Seeing just what 18,000 bottles looks like all in one place is a great first step of helping people understand that they shouldn’t simply be throwing away their plastic trash after one use. Instead, they can make the extra effort to locate recycling bins and facilities, or find other ways to repurpose the plastic, such as reusing bags as lunch sacks and trash can liners, or other purposes.
Recycled and found art are just two artistic genres that you can learn more about on SGArtClass.com. Recycled art includes making new art pieces out of old materials, including the plastic bottle public art sculptures made by volunteers as a way to raise awareness of plastic waste in Singapore. Found art is art made from items the artist has found — whether it’s in forgotten boxes and drawers at their own home or in litter and other debris people have thrown away. Learn about these art forms and experience them for yourself by enrolling in such a class on SGArtClass.com. It doesn’t matter if you have little to no artistic background. Teachers will help you learn the skills necessary to complete projects you’re invested in.
To read more about the recycled plastic art and the environmental event in Singapore, go to https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/plastic-bags-targeted-as-singapore-marks-world-environment-day.