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Artists Changing The Way We See Single-Use Plastic

Today nearly every person on the planet comes into contact with some form of plastic packaging on a daily basis. According to a report by the World Economic Forum, worldwide use of plastic has increased 20 times in the past 50 years, and it is expected to double in the next 20 years. While many companies and organizations focus on plastic waste facts to raise awareness, artists are also coming up with creative ways to bring attention to the issue.

Many artists have found inspiration in plastic waste, from daily garbage to plastic found in the ocean. They have created pieces, installations and images to bring awareness. Here are some of our favorite campaigns:

#365 Unpacked

In this photo series, artist Antoine Repesse spent four years collecting his own recyclables and photographing the waste. By taking the subject and dividing it into its respective areas of use, we see how much waste we, in fact, might have in our own homes. What does his series ultimately remind us? That the best waste is the waste we don’t produce.

7 Days of Garbage

Photographer Gregg Segal had a similar motive behind his photo series. He grew up always wondering where his trash was going and what will happen when we run out of room for it. In this series he asked friends, family and neighbors to collect their trash and recyclables for a week. He then photographed them laying in their own trash. His motive? “I photographed my family because I want my 8-year-old son to understand that we’re contributing to the problem, too.”

Natural Plasticity

Los Angeles-based artists Jana Cruder & Matthew Lapenta scale the impact of single-use plastics in their larger-than-life installation series. Their mission is to bring a consciousness to consumers and corporations about plastics through the creation of 20-30 ft. single-use plastic bottles and cups. Since disposable plastic is impacting our natural environment, they hope their large scale works will have a profound effect on consumers. Click here to find this impressive traveling installation.

What can we do to help eliminate plastic waste? An organization called Litterati has a solution. They’ve created a community that identifies where litter is being found and cleans it up. By downloading their app you can geotag exactly where you’re finding trash, then you or someone in the community can help remove it. With a goal of a litter-free world in mind, this app makes picking up trash into a treasure hunt.

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