‘Plasticus’ the whale visits Bywaters S
culpture highlighting the threat that plastic pollution poses to marine life displayed at Bywaters’ site in East London aſt er fi rm teams up with TV company Sky.
A ten-metre long whale made of the kinds of waste plastics commonly dumped in the ocean was displayed at the headquarters of recycling company Bywaters in Bow, East London during December 2017. T e whale, named ‘Plasticus’ following suggestions from members of the public, was produced by TV company Sky in partnership with Bywaters to highlight the threat that plastic pollution poses to marine life.
Hundreds of thousands of marine animals die from ingestion or entanglement in plastic debris each year and the event was dedicated by Bywaters to the Beaked Cuvier whale found dying off the coast of Norway in early 2017. T e whale was found to have over 30 plastic bags in its stomach.
Weighing 250kg, Plasticus is designed to mirror the amount of plastic released into the seas every second. Bywaters contributed plastic bottles, fi lm and straws to make the structure, sourced from beach cleans in the South East as well as client sites.
CAMPAIGN
Plasticus is the centrepiece of Sky’s Ocean Rescue campaign, a global drive aimed at raising awareness of the plight faced by the world’s oceans. T e sculpture was fi rst unveiled at a ceremony by Tower Bridge in London in August 2017, before embarking on a nationwide tour of the UK. During the tour it was viewed by over half a million people in 12 locations, from Edinburgh toNewquay.
T e campaign received support from numerous charities and organisations including, amongst others, Greenpeace, Keep Britain Tidy and T e Marine Conservation Society. Local councils joined forces with these organisations to arrange community beach cleans and events.
Politicians also took up the call to action with environment minister, Térèse Coff ey, joining the tour at Felixstowe. Aſt er visiting Bywaters the sculpture has now embarked on a tour of Europe.
Bywaters recycles the equivalent of 500 Plasticus whales every week at its state-of-the-art materials recycling facility (“MRF”) in Bow. T e MRF processes a wide range of mixed recyclables from both the public and private sector.
Siân Glover, Bywaters’ head of social enterprise, said: “We love the oceans and the environment and feel passionately that we need to do our bit to work with our customers to prevent ocean plastic waste. Our work at Bywaters is founded on inspiring others to follow our lead and transform their operational habits to create a better world for future generations.”
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Ms Glover said: “Plasticus was a clever way of showing people what the consequence of throwing plastic bottles into the river or the sea looks like. We are now keen to explore with Sky how we can further help them in getting the message out there.”
‘Plasticus’ represents the latest environmental initiative by family-run recycling company Bywaters, which recently installed the largest solar PV array fi tted to an existing London building and ensures that all of its vehicles meet strict low emission standards.
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