United Nations World Environment Day: Provocative sculpture on Bondi Beach highlights plastic waste problem

A New Zealand packaging company has given Australians a gift they’re unlikely to forget in a hurry: a giant recycled plastic poo sculpture appeared on Bondi Beach in the early hours of Monday morning, the United Nations World Environment Day.

The installation, made for the Better Packaging Co based in Aotearoa New Zealand, roughly equates to the amount of plastic waste that is dumped into the World’s oceans every 30 seconds.

“There is enough plastic in the world – the problem is that it doesn’t get collected or recycled, and eventually ends up in our oceans because it has no perceived value,” said Rebecca Percasky, co-founder of Better Packaging Co. “As new plastic is so cheap and convenient the plastic we’ve already created just gets discarded.”

The sculpture equates roughly to the amount of waste dumped into the World's oceans every 30 seconds. Photo / Supplied

The answer is to recycle our plastics into useable products.

“We all bear the responsibility of reducing the amount of plastic we use and incorporating recycled plastics, especially the business sector,” Percasky said.

The Better Packaging Co is already tackling the plastic waste problem with their POLLASTIC range: garment bags, reusable carry bags, pallet wrap, and more, made from 80 to 100 percent recycled plastic pollution retrieved from Southeast Asia.

“POLLAST!C is proof that we can find ways to fix this environmental challenge,” said Percasky. “It demonstrates that we can find ways to recycle some of the most problematic plastic waste globally while simultaneously decreasing the presence of abandoned plastic in our environment.”

The sustainable product has already been adopted by several Kiwi companies, one of the first being environmentally-focused clothing company Untouched World, the first fashion company globally to be recognised by the United Nations for sustainability.

Peri Drysdale, founder of Untouched World cites two reasons for the move to the sustainable solution.

“Firstly, it is made from recycled plastic so it’s not using any virgin materials,” Drysdale said. “Secondly, the prevention of ocean plastics is very important to us and is a key reason that we make garments using natural fibres. We love that POLLAST!C is made from waste likely to have ended up in the ocean.”

Pollastic is also winning fans across the ditch with Sydney label P.E. Nation, a fashion and sportswear brand, adopting the product.

“(It’s) been a game-changer for us at P.E Nation,” said co-founder Pip Edwards. “We are all about the fusion of fashion and function, so it’s only natural that we extend that ethos to our packaging.

Not only are we doing our part for the environment, but customers have been loving receiving their orders in these bags knowing that they’re made from plastic that would otherwise be polluting the environment. We are proud to be making changes like this to improve our environmental footprint.”

Percasky acknowledges the stunt is provocative, but she maintains it stresses the urgency of the problems we face, and she hopes it will inspire people to do more for the cause.

“We need comprehensive solutions, including improved waste management systems and increased recycling efforts. Our aim is not only to draw attention to the problem, this World Environment Day, but also inspire positive change across the entire plastic waste lifecycle,” she said.

“While the poo is a very provocative reminder of the plastic waste polluting our oceans, it is crucial to address the issue holistically.”