New art installation at Woodhouse Moor is a pile of rubbish!

A seven metre tall art installation built with recycled waste will take centre stage on Woodhouse Moor in a bid to encourage more students to recycle.

Students from Leeds Beckett University are working in partnership with Leeds City Council on an ‘Opt In’ recycling project which encourages students to recycle more using the council’s green bag and bin scheme.

The structure is made up of five columns of recyclable waste encased in metal gabions and aims to draw attention to the amount of waste that is produced in the city.

The message is to Opt-In recycling, which not only applies to the local student population but everyone else who lives and works in the city.

With the city recycling the equivalent weight of 219 double decker busses in green bins last year, and currently recycling 40% of all household waste, the city is doing well, but more needs to be done.

Councillor Al Garthwaite, Leeds City Council climate change committee chair and support executive member for sustainability and environment said;

“It’s a fantastic idea to use a piece of eye catching artwork to raise awareness and hopefully encourage more people to get recycling. I’m really impressed with the work the students have put into this project, and it is great to see the final piece.

“Recycling rates in Leeds in areas with high levels of students have historically been low, but from working with all Leeds universities we have identified the need for more informative and engaging activity that will help capture attention and encourage recycling behaviours, which we hope this new artwork will do!

“Ensuring we all make the effort to recycle more will help the environment and ensure Leeds is a cleaner, greener place to live.

Rosie Blyth, graphic art and design student at Leeds Beckett University said;

“We as a team of final year Graphic Arts & Design students hope that by arranging this unusual installation in a place that is well known by many students across Leeds, it will spark conversation about recycling and the impact that it has. We want other students to become more conscious about their recycling habits and realise the effect that these habits will have on the community in Leeds, and also the country.”

Leeds Beckett University Senior Lecturer in the School of Art, Architecture and Design, Andy Edwards, said:

 “The aim of this project is to encourage more people living in Hyde Park and Headingley areas to recycle - a common ambition of both Leeds City Council and Leeds Beckett University.

“Currently, this ward area has one of the lowest recycling rates in the city. This project was planned in close collaboration with Leeds City Council.

“As a Graphic Design course we encourage students to undertake a range of live projects that reach outside the University. Our students, who are all in their final year, came up with the concept and design, and have sourced the materials to bring to the installation together. We’d like to thank Hesco, HW Martin and the Collective group for their support.”

For more information about what you can recycle in your green bin visit https://www.leeds.gov.uk/residents/bins-and-recycling/your-bins/green-recycling-bin