Students' Striking Sculpture Takes on Plastic Waste at Nottingham College

A student-led initiative has unveiled a three-metre-high installation designed to address the behaviours and culture surrounding plastic bottle usage.

The initiative titled "Project Plastic", featured a temporary structure filled with hundreds of plastic bottles collected by college students and staff over 16 days. Displayed outside Nottingham College’s City Hub, the installation marked the culmination of a six-month-long student effort and was unveiled during a launch event on July 9th.

The project, spearheaded by a group of Level 3 Business students, has been in development since November of last year. Their goal was to create a striking visual reminder of the amount of plastic waste generated, encouraging both students and staff to reflect on the environmental impact and to inspire everyone to contribute towards a more sustainable future.

Highlighted in a 2022 research paper led by the University of Loughborough, the study shows 33% of all litter in the UK is made up of beverage containers. Responding to this, business students Courtney (20) and Lilyanne (17), began Project Plastic after pitching and winning an employer-led competition. The students were given autonomy to solve an issue around sustainability. Together they came up with a PR Stunt that involved creating and building an innovative and thought-provoking structure with the aim to spark conversations and awareness within the college, the city and the wider community.

Student Courtney Lewin said: “We wanted to put more focus on plastic as it’s a big issue. Plastics are getting into our seas, our streets, our food and it’s damaging our environment. We wanted to create a visual impact that would put more focus on the importance of recycling.

“So far, the project has already had a positive impact on Nottingham College. The canteen has now switched to cardboard milk cartons instead of plastic and hopefully more similar changes will happen.”

Student Lilyanne Dodds said: “We’ve also spoken to the CEO about ways we could improve as a college, such as getting a water fountain in the canteen so that students and staff can fill up their own bottles.

“The most enjoyable part of this project was working together. It’s been fantastic to collaborate with fellow students and tutors that had similar concerns over our environment and passion for this project. It’s been hard work but rewarding, we have learnt so many skills from leadership to teamwork, to resilience and adaptability. These are skills that will help us in our future careers.”

Project Plastic successfully highlighted the urgent need to address plastic waste and sparked important conversations about sustainability within the Nottingham College community and beyond. Nottingham College remains committed to supporting such initiatives and encouraging a culture of environmental responsibility.