Used drinks cans were repurposed into a piece of art as part of a project to encourage people to recycle wherever they are.
Environmental charity Keep Scotland Beautiful partnered with not-for-profit organisation Every Can Counts at University of Strathclyde to host a can collection and art installation.
The stunt was designed to educate students on the lifecycle of aluminium cans. Keep Scotland Beautiful’s 2024 Scottish Litter Survey, published earlier this month, found that more than half of people surveyed (63%) see drinks cans littered very or somewhat often – meaning they aren’t being captured for recycling.
Students voted for their favourite artwork out of four via an in-person vote at the University in October and a poll on Instagram
After deciding on the design of a Colourful Coo, around 2,000 cans were used to create the piece of artwork at Rottenrow Gardens on the university grounds on Wednesday 20 November.
Heather McLaughlin, Campaigns and Social Innovation Manager at Keep Scotland Beautiful, said: “This fun and creative stunt aimed to encourage students to think more about recycling and the life cycle of a can.
“We know there is a high recycling rate at the university but our latest Scottish Litter Survey has shown just how often people spot cans as litter across the country so there is still work to be done to encourage more people to dispose of their litter correctly – ensuring precious resources are captured and brought back to use in another form.
“It was really inspiring to see so many students take part in this stunt and I’d like to thank the University of Strathclyde for their support. Eighty-two per cent of people want to see more efforts to prevent litter and we’re determined to continue trying new, innovative methods to support the country’s desire for positive change.”
Chris Latham-Warde, Every Can Counts Programme Manager – UK & Ireland, said: “We were delighted to bring our PixelCan art installation to Scotland for the first time as part of Keep Scotland Beautiful’s ongoing behaviour change campaign at the University of Strathclyde.
“The colourful Highland Cow design was created from 2,000 hand-painted recycled cans, showing students that while each individual can is small, they come together to form a much bigger picture. And when it comes to recycling, the bigger environmental picture is of course what we want students to keep in mind. Drink cans are made from aluminium which has the potential to be recycled forever, but this only happens if we keep the material in circulation by putting our empty cans in a recycling bin.”
This campaign is part of a range of interventions at the University of Strathclyde – including the introduction of Reverse Vending Machines (RVMs), campaign messaging and campus-based focus groups – by Keep Scotland Beautiful, funded by Coca-Cola Europacific Partners, to encourage positive behaviour change.
Jo Padwick, Sustainability Manager at Coca-Cola Europacific Partners, “We’re proud to support Keep Scotland Beautiful, Strathclyde University and Every Can Counts on a recycling campaign that aimed to get a better understanding of what levers have the most direct impact on students’ recycling habits.
“The PixelCan art installation was an engaging way to further communicate the importance of recycling on campus. It was great to see students’ interest as the image unfolded over the course of the day!
“CCEP has a goal of collecting and recycling a bottle or can for each one we sell by 2030* so understanding what messaging, incentives or activities will help to support us towards this mission is key.”
These interventions follow a previous collaboration between the charity, Clackmannanshire Council, Falkirk Council, Stirling Council and Forth Valley College which was funded in-part by CCEP (Coca-Cola Europacific Partners) earlier in the year, developed as part of Keep Scotland Beautiful’s actions to support the National Litter and Flytipping Strategy (NLFS) Year 1 Action Plan. The full report can be found here.
