“The intention with this display is to showcase the impact of single use plastic on the future and to call to action the importance of reducing the consumption of single use plastics,” said Hollands.
The original plastic tap was created by artist and environmental activist Benjamin Von Wong and was displayed at the UN headquarters in Nairobi Kenya while discussions around the Global Plastics Treaty were taking place in 2022.
Since then, he has replicated the statue around the world, including at another negotiation around the treaty in Ottawa in April 2024.
“The original artist published free plans on his website, so that individuals and groups could download the plans and replicate the statue on a smaller scale, which is what we followed,” said Hollands.
Wong’s mission is to encourage a reduction in personal use of single use plastics, but more importantly, to encourage systemic change through the development and enforcement of a legally binding Global Plastics Treaty.
The key points of the proposed treaty are:
- Phasing out all unnecessary plastic products that pose a high pollution risk, including single-use items and excessive packaging.
- Establishing binding and specific design requirements for plastic products that lead to a decrease in plastic consumption.
- Matching strong binding measures with ambitious mechanisms to enable effective implementation and a just transition, including robust technical and financial assistance.
To learn more visit:
https://turnofftheplastictap.com/ and https://blog.vonwong.com/cardboardplastictap/