Earth Day: Giant globe made from litter installed in Leicester park

A giant globe made entirely from litter collected from parks and waterways in Leicester has been installed to mark Earth Day.

The artwork, measuring 10ft (3m) in diameter, is afloat on a river at Abbey Park ahead of the day on Friday.

Bottle tops, food packaging, crisp packets and other household waste was sorted and cleaned to create the globe, which depicts landmass and oceans.

Earth Day encourages people to focus on the planet and the challenges it faces.

Material for the globe structure was collected by Leicester City Council's environmental rangers with the help of the Leicester Environmental Volunteers.

Yellow packaging has been used to create the deserts of Africa, green-coloured waste forms the landmass of Europe, while discarded white packaging has been used to shape the Arctic and Antarctic.

The council hopes the artwork, which is on display until mid-June, will remind people to think about the environment.

Adam Clarke, deputy city mayor and lead on the environment at Leicester City Council, said: "One of the most visible signs of the climate emergency we're facing is the amount of waste that finds its way into watercourses and eventually ends up in the ocean.

"Not only is it an eyesore and a hazard to wildlife, this litter can also cause flooding, so it has the potential to have a huge negative environmental impact.

"We're lucky to have lots of committed volunteers in Leicester who want to help, including the Leicester Environmental Volunteers, who work with our parks team to clear litter from rivers and waterways in the city.

"But none of this waste should end up in our waterways - we all have responsibility for recycling or disposing of our waste properly.

"This giant globe sculpture reminds us that there is much, much more we can do to protect our environment - and as we mark Earth Day, it's a good time to think about the small changes we can make in our lives that will make a huge difference to our environment in the long term."

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