A giant tap spewing plastic waste art installation by Benjamin Von Wong is a massive reminder for us to #turnofftheplastictap
Plastic pollution has been a problem for decades.However, since the outbreak of the coronavirus (SARS-CoV2) pandemic in December 2019, there has been a rejuvenated demand for plastics particularly in the health care sector and in personal protection equipment (PPE) equipment, such as gloves, medical masks, respirators, goggles, face shields, gowns, and aprons, to prevent the infection of healthcare and other workers, and contain the transmission of the virus in the general public. This has led to an upsurge in the amount of plastic packaging used in the global system.
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A Plastic Tidal Wave
According to a recent study, the global pandemic consumption of this material has increased from 250 to 300%. A February 2021 study estimated that globally, the amount of plastic waste generated during the pandemic is 1.6 million metric tons per day. That includes 3.4 billion single-use face masks and shields—every single day.
The World Bank warns that COVID-19 has shifted the tide back toward single-use plastics. Aside from medical supplies and grocery bags, a surge in online shopping and takeout food orders contributed to a big jump in plastic packaging. A survey of consumers in 23 countries reported a 53% increase in their households’ plastic packaging waste during the pandemic. For this, Benjamin Von Wong wanted to raise awareness on plastic production via three-story tall art installation inviting the world to “TurnOffThePlasticTap.
Giant Plastic Tap : A Reminder to #TurnOffThePlasticTap
Benjamin Von Wong , a Canadian artist and activist, once again back with a mission, this time big one, to raise awareness about plastic pollution.
To make his new project a reality, the Canadian artist is looking for a partner. Luckily, he stumbled upon the Canadian Embassy, which was won over by his initiative. Supported by hundreds of volunteers, Von Wong successfully built a three-story art installation titled Giant Plastic Tap, made out of heaps of single-use plastics—cleaning bottles, water bottles, and other plastic materials that exists on our planet.
The art installation, with plastic flowing out of it and a giant faucet on the top of it, is Von Wong’s most ambitious yet.As the hashtag implies, the art installation serves as a reminder for everyone to turn off the plastic tap.
To level up this project, Von Wong and his team built a giant faucet that holds a whole pile of plastic together: cleaning bottles and mineral water bottles. The valve has been made from recycled materials such as ventilation ducts and is suitable for a forklift. With the help of dozens of volunteers from all walks of life, Von Wong successfully bring this project to life – a sculpture of an enormous levitating tap, spewing garbage.
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Von Wong sees these images as just the beginning of his project. He’s inviting everyone to help spread awareness and gearing it towards creatives. Create a remix of Giant Plastic Tap between October 4 and November 4, 2021, and you’ll automatically be entered into a $10,000 prize pool. Von Wong needs your help to spread awareness. You can head over here to see how you can help!
Now it’s your turn. While it’s hard to do, the best thing we can do is reduce our plastic consumption. You are part of the change we need to see in this world!
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