USED drinks cans at the University of Strathclyde have been repurposed into a piece of art as part of a project to encourage people to recycle.
Environmental charity Keep Scotland Beautiful partnered with not-for-profit organisation Every Can Counts at the university 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 found that 63% of respondents see drinks cans littered very or somewhat often – meaning they aren’t being captured for recycling.
Students voted for their favourite artwork via an in-person vote at the university and a poll on Instagram. After deciding on the design of a Colourful Coo, around 2,000 cans were used to create the artwork at Rottenrow Gardens on the university grounds.
Heather McLaughlin, campaigns and social innovation manager at Keep Scotland Beautiful, said, “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. 82% 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, added, “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.”
The 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.
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.
