THE MERSEY
PLASTIC PROJECT
After brainstorming environmental issues we would like to tackle, we came to the conclusion that not many people would be tackling the issue of plastic waste in the River Mersey so we decided to take on the task ourselves.
THE CHALLENGE
With the UK’s most polluted river on our doorsteps, we knew we needed to take action against plastic waste in the Merseyside region. The River Mersey is filled with millions of microplastics due to littered beaches, and we decided to tackle the problem at its core by designing a structure within the Mersey itself, which could be used to educate the public on why their habits are damaging our city.
THE SOLUTION
We are aiming to build a maintained structure on the River Mersey which is solely built from recycled materials. We believe this structure will help raise awareness of the increasing amount of plastic in the River Mersey and encourage people to look into ways they can become more sustainable as individuals. We hope that the public will think about our structure when they go to dispose of their own plastics.
The structure resembles a turtle and is made solely of recycled plastic bottles so the public know what they need to be doing, recycling their plastics, and why they are doing it, to save the turtles and other sea creatures, some of which may be found in our own River Mersey.
Walkthrough Pavilion
We have also created plans for a walkthrough pavilion that would help to create awareness.Let us know what you think! Were you aware of the amount of plastic in the Mersey?
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Survey
Please, take part in our survey so we can gather more information:
Further Resources
For more information, please see the following links:
https://theoceancleanup.com/sources/
https://www.epa.gov/trash-free-waters/impacts-mismanaged-trash
https://www.wwf.org.uk/updates/ten-tips-reduce-your-plastic-footprint
https://www.thames21.org.uk/plastic-free-mersey/
Please, spread the word of our project with our hashtag #plasticmerseyturtles, and let us know what you think below!
The installation in the Mersey and the pavillion are great ideas – bright, attractive and impactful to raise the awareness of this issue which is a worldwide problem that we need to solve.
I love this idea! Structures and events like this are a great way to attract attention, publicity, and exposure.
I really enjoy how you’ve gone into detail with how different recycled materials could be used to create your structure, but I’d like to challenge you to go even further with that and see what sort of other materials you could use and where you would be able to source them from. What about the structure of the turtle, where would you source that kind of waste?
The second point it would be good to consider is the actual location of the structures. Maybe you don’t have to work it out in detail but you could consider which places get the footfall you need, and where you’d get the biggest impact.
The last point I’d make is, for a project that’s about preventing plastic ending up in the Mersey, how will you make sure your structure doesn’t end up there? Don’t forget the Mersey is extremely tidal – the anchor will have to let the Turtle rise and fall, and it will have to be strong enough so that the tides don’t pull it apart. Will it go on permanent display somewhere afterwards?
Great idea!
What a great issue to tackle. You’ve connected wider issues of plastic pollution to a very local issue with the pollution of the Mersey. Using creative and artistic solutions to help educated and shift behaviours is a great idea and you can imagine people on both sides of the Mersey seeing this installation and taking action. The pavilion will really help to make sure people can learn about the issue you’re presenting. I wonder if the installation could even incorporate some technology which might help to filter out micro-plastic pollution?
I think it’s wonderful that young people are so conscious of the amount of plastic in the local river and I didn’t realise there’s as much plastic as there is which is really bad. I think it’s great to make something functional (playground, walkway) and educational / beautiful too (turtle).
There is a lot of potential in plastic bottles for different uses, as you’ve shown in your lattice structure on the turtle, they can be really strong like bricks.
I really like the colourful and striking designs; they are very attention-grabbing! And I think it they are really imaginative ideas.
I have a question about getting your message across: your designs are really beautiful, do you think that might make people feel positive towards plastic rather than think it is an issue? Maybe for example, on the information boards in the playground design you could say “the recycled material used to build this slide only represents only a small proportion of how much plastic waste there is in our seas and rivers” or actually give the percentage / figure. This might give people an idea of the scale of the problem..?
Overall I think the idea of playful sculptures is really good so well done!
Wow this is such an original idea of grabbing public attention to raise awareness about an important issue! I think the structure would be really eye catching, striking and would maybe even attract visitors from outside of Liverpool to come and take a look to which would broaden your reach. It could be a real talking topic for people in the North West and you could even get people to add their own photos to the #plasticmerseyturtles Instagram to grow that online presence too and generate even more interest while also increasing awareness of the issue of plastic waste, encouraging people to think about their own consumption and ways they can reduce single plastic use and recycle more. I love the visual designs and how you have kept some natural features of the turtle but also added some bright, standout colours too bringing an element of fun. I also like how the bright colours are echoed in the abstract shapes for your walkway which I think would be an equally striking attraction. Your design for the playground is so much fun!! It’s very well thought out and creative and I think it would be a very effective way of making younger children consider plastic waste and recycling – it’s light touch and fun and it really stands out! I especially love the bottle design lookout! The different elements of your design concept all link together really nicely and I can imagine this being a very enjoyable experience for anyone visiting the Albert Docks whilst at the same time raising awareness about an important issue. I tend to think more about plastic waste in the sea but this has made me think more about river pollution and how this is not just a “problem out there in the ocean”. We really need to address it. Great work!!
Getting attention in the first palce is tricky and a turtle made of recycled plastic would probaby do that well.
The idea of a pavillion and a playground is also good. Maybe they will help raise awareness as well as creating a nice environment for children to play.
The models and drawings are really useful and effective at getting the ideas across.
This is a brilliant and beautiful design – both essential if you want to really engage people I think – and feels like it will get its awareness raising job done.
I’ll go and fill in your survey now
I really love this idea. The Mersey is in a awful state and people in the area don’t care. I love the idea of showing people what is achievable with their plastics at the same time as showing people how MUCH plastic has been in and around the river. A good shock factor as well. Maybe consider what to do with any plastic that continues to build AFTER you have built this structure. What will discourage, clean, remove any remaining plastic in the river? What will make people stop littering? Fantastic work and ideas.