Sunglass maker Costa launched its Kick Plastic campaign earlier this year to educate customers about the growing ocean trash issue, and encourage them to kick the plastic habit. This week, the brand has commissioned a sculpture of a jumping marlin made entirely out of washed-up beach trash. The nine-foot tall, seven-foot long fish will premier at the entrance hall of the American Sportfishing Association’s ICAST event in Orlando July 14-17. Artist Angela Pozzi and her team of staff and volunteers from the non-profit organization Washed Ashore designed and assembled the sculpture using thousands of collected plastic and metal cans found on beaches along the West Coast.
A toy truck tire sliced in half makes up the outer ring of the marlin’s eyes, with pieces from a child’s plastic ball, a blue plastic automotive oil bottle, bottle lids and aluminum cans adding to the creation. Silver flip flop pieces, plastic water bottles, a mayonnaise jar lid and a baby bowl from Japan also went into the mix to create the eyes.
The sculpture is meant to serve as a stark reminder of how much trash can be found on coastal beaches, and start conversations about how anglers can become more involved in addressing the plastic problem.Costa produced this short video (below) illustrating the making of the plastic art sculpture. Also look for new products from Costa that encourage everyone to avoid using plastic, such as Klean Kanteen water bottles, reusable tote bags and a line of T-shirts made from cotton and recycled bottles and plastics.
