LIDL has unveiled a 25ft mural, inspired by Botticelli, in Glasgow city, made from over 30,000 bottle caps.
The hand-crafted mural – aptly named Bottlecelli – was commissioned to mark a milestone 253,000 containers of PET plastic and aluminium recycled through the retailer’s ‘industry first’ return scheme pilot that launched last month.
The artwork turning trash into treasure reimagines early renaissance painter Botticelli’s famous ‘Birth of Venus’ and is designed to encourage more shoppers and passers-by to play their part in reducing plastic pollution.
Located in Glasgow’s west end, Lidl has teamed up with renowned mural artist Smug and Yardworks, the street and graffiti programme at arts venue SWG3, to deliver the spectacle. With a free-hand painted base, the artwork is embellished in parts with a mix of bottle caps due to be recycled, as well as bottle caps already recycled through the scheme in the past month.
Lidl’s return scheme pilot will run until August. Shoppers receive a 5p reward for each eligible item they return, which can either be redeemed against their weekly shop or donated to Lidl’s charity partner, The STV Children’s appeal. Lidl has committed a further £2,500 for bottle tops used in creation of the mural to the organisation.
The supermarket anticipates the trial scheme will result in a minimum 10.5 tonnes of plastic and aluminium material being recycled each month, with the material set to be retained and used to create new plastic and aluminium products.
Marco Ivone, Lidl’s regional director for Scotland, said, “Since launching last month, we’ve had an overwhelming response to our pilot return scheme and ‘Bottlecelli’ is an opportunity for us to give something back to the Glasgow community. We know our customers share our passion for sustainability, and saving money, and we hope even more people take advantage of the schemes as we continue to invest in ways to ensure recycling is as convenient as possible.”
Laura Frood, engagement and participation lead at SWG3 Glasgow, added, “It’s been a pleasure working alongside Lidl, Sam (Smug) and the wider team here at SWG3 to create ‘Bottlecelli’ over the past month. The mural looks fantastic and is testament to the talented team of artists and students* who were able to make art from waste bottle tops.”
