An art installation is to be created from plastic pollution collected in Boston borough by primary school children as part of this year’s Big Schools Clean Up.
Boston Borough Council, Boston Big Local, Transported, the Boston arts organisation, and Lincolnshire’s Waste Partnership have joined forces to turn plastics collected by schools into a unique work of art to go on public display.
In a similar way that ugly knives, handed in as part of a weapons amnesty, have been turned into a beautiful steel angel (pictured), plastic will be transformed into a thought-provoking work by an artist commissioned by Transported.
Schools taking part will be issued with special-coloured bags to put plastic rubbish into. Boston Borough Council will collect these for storage at Lincolnshire County Council’s waste transfer station in Boston before they are required by the artist.
The art work will go on public display in the borough, together with a plaque namechecking every school which helps. The plastics “sculpture” will also go on display at this year’s Lincolnshire Show as part of an exhibit by the Lincolnshire Waste Partnership.
Jenny Moore, Boston Borough Council’s environment supervisor, and organiser of the annual Boston clean ups, said: “This project is sure to generate lots of interest and I hope this unique event inspires our schools to want to take part, especially as concerns about plastics pollution worldwide are so heightened at the moment.”
Nick Jones, Transported’s programme director, said: “Transported is delighted to have this opportunity to work with the borough and the town’s community groups to use creativity to highlight the issue of pollution. Many of our projects are about improving public spaces, using the arts to celebrate what makes a place special, and encouraging people to care about where they live, fostering a sense of pride. So this project is a great opportunity to improve the area as well as create a new artwork that gets the environmental message across to more people.”
Chairman of Boston Big Local, Richard Tory, said: “I am delighted that the Boston Big Local can support this project. There has been a lot in the national press recently regarding single-use plastics and this project will help raise awareness about plastic pollution locally and how we all can take responsibility in improving the areas where we live. I look forward to seeing what can be produced.”
All primary schools in Boston borough are being contacted by Boston Borough Council with an invitation to take part. They are encouraged to confirm their wish to join in by emailing tracey.banks@boston.gov.uk
Children from Boston West Academy are the first to take part in the Big Schools’ Plastics Pick Up. Pictured are some of the school’s “eco warriors” collecting plastic into the special red sacks. Other rubbish was collected in black bags