A group of students at our Cambridge campus have created a stunning sculpture from recycled materials to highlight the issue of plastic waste in our oceans. The learners, who are studying Level 1 Bridge to Employment, spent eight weeks creating the image of a whale in the sea from donated waste plastics, such as food and cosmetic packaging, bubble wrap and plastic bottles. They also recycled black bin bags to shape the whale’s fluke. Lecturer Lucy Lovelock wanted the students to be more aware of the issue, which is currently at the forefront of global media. She said: “It occurred to me that, as a land-based campus, we should try to highlight the issue and improve our environmental impact.” Through the project, students learned about some of the key facts such as:

• Up to 15,000 seas turtles and entangled in plastics each year
• Around 90% of all seabirds have consumed plastic
• By 2050, ocean plastics will outweigh our oceans’ fish.
• Each year, over eight million tonnes of plastic leak into our oceans.
• More than one million plastic bags are used, worldwide, every minute.

Lucy added: “I cannot describe how proud I am of the learners involved. They have worked persistently hard and seen the project through the very end with a great result”. The sculpture is currently on display at the college’s Cambridge campus.