Pictured: An interpretation of Van Gogh’s Starry Night showing what is possible with bottle tops.

When we originally planned the recycling rhinoceros sculpture, we wanted to provide a constant message in one of the highest footfall areas in Maghull about the importance of endangered wildlife and plastic recycling. We had intended to collect the bottle tops until it was full and leave it as a permanent statement. However, it has drawn so much affectionate engagement through the collecting and inserting of bottle tops by the whole community, that we belatedly changed tact and have been seeking a variety of organisations that either recycle all upcycle the bottle tops.

Consequently, we have ongoing negotiations with a variety of organisations, which so far has resulted in the following:

  • The first local high school’s Art Department (who previously and kindly/skilfully painted the bin with flowers outside the Halifax on our behalf), have amazingly taken 25,000 plastic bottle tops to create a community art mosaic.
  • A local Art college has also agreed to undertake a community art mosaic and will be taking a similar amount of bottle tops (25,000).
  • One afternoon, last week we visited the new Community Stockport Plastic Shed Social Enterprise (https://www.plasticshed.org/) which does not make plastic sheds (!), but shreds the bottle tops and makes thin and thick plastic sheets that are used in an amazing array of creative artworks and functional items. Their enthusiasm and knowledge was incredible, leaving us with a huge array of ethical resource networks. They have initially taken 3,500 bottle tops from us.
  • Dot Art in Liverpool (https://dot-art.co.uk/) are one of the largest community art organisations in the area, and are celebrating their 10th anniversary with a schools competition and workshops focusing on recycling (https://schools.dot-art.com/dot-art-schools-celebrates…/), which led to a contact with a local famous artist whose artwork utilises everything that can be recycled (https://faithbebbington.co.uk/). She currently has the honour of one of her installations being displayed as a prize at St Nicholas’s Church for one year. https://www.itv.com/…/meet-jimmy-the-latest-sculpture…

She is also hoping to take 25,000 bottle tops for a future project.

If you are aware of any other organisations who would be keen to recycle or upcycle we would love to hear from you at staffordmortonway@gmail.com or for updates www.spacehive.com/stafford-moreton