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Did you know that by 2050, there will be more plastic bottles than fish in the ocean?
If you think that's ridiculous, how about this: In 2013, the Singapore Environment Council found that Singapore uses three billion plastic bags a year, a staggering amount considering that the city-state has a population of five million people.
Plastic is being used in cities around the world at such an alarming rate that it has far surpassed the rate at which these plastic components are or can be recycled. Left unrecycled, plastic bottles can take up to 1,000 years to biodegrade.
With that in mind, American artist Von Wong set out to raise awareness about this issue. Yet, his biggest challenge was getting people to pay attention to a subject that's so unimpressive.
"I needed to get people to talk about plastic trash, an ugly and boring subject. So what I did was to see how I can turn it into an object of beauty first, before making them realise what they're really seeing," Von says.
(Von Wong and his girlfriend swim through 10,000 plastic bottles)
So Von Wong and his girlfriend, along with a bunch of dedicated crew members and volunteers, set out on a monumental mission to get as much plastic bottles as they could.
"Alone, I was just a photographer but thanks to the help of amazing individuals we transformed a lifeless pile of used garbage into a message," Von explains. His message: #MermaidsHatePlastic
The team ended up with 10,000 bottles, borrowed from a waste management center. Cleaned and sorted according to their colours, Von began bringing the visions in his mind to reality.
#MermaidsHatePlastic Project
The project focuses on a series of four scenes Von created with the use of a mermaid model and 10,000 plastic bottles. Ultimately, it's to showcase the sheer amount of bottles that can be collected in a short time and how devastating the effects they can wreck on our eco-system.
Scene 1:Plastic Beach
Scene 2: Plastic Ocean
Scene 3: Plastic Tear
Scene 4: Plastic Drain
In addition to the project, Von also encourages the audience to make an active stand on reducing the use of plastic through the various means:
· Buy yourself a re-usable bottle today. It doesn’t have to be expensive, look out for simple innovative young companies like Refillit!
· Make a commitment to consider whether to accept the next piece of plastic that is offered to you, whether it’s a plastic bag, a straw or a microscopic water-bottle in your uber ride.
· Learn a few horrible facts about plastic pollution and tell your friends over the next drink or coffee you get!
To find out more about the project, and for full credits of the shots, visit Von Wong's website.
Here are other ways you can be more environmentally-conscious at home: