Undergrads say bye to plastic waste, embrace ‘Hello Zero’

A group of volunteers working for ‘Zero Plastic Movement’ got together and made an elephant out of plastic waste, with the product coming in for much praise at the recent ‘Annual Summit of the World’s Largest Travel Company’ held at the BMICH on February 27. 

The volunteers used plastic waste collected from Sigiriya and its surroundings to make the model of an elephant. They named it ‘Hello Zero’ and launched it at this travel summit. This creation is now placed permanently at the entrance to BMICH.

According to Nishshanka de Silva, the founder of the Zero Plastic Movement, the creation of an elephant from plastic waste was made to highlight plastic pollution at Sigiriya and its impact on wildlife. 

According to a press release issued by the Zero Plastic Movement,‘Hello Zero’ is not just a sculpture, but a wakeup call about the devastating impact of plastic pollution on Sri Lanka’s cultural heritage and wildlife’. 

The release further states, ‘the plastic for the project was collected during massive clean-ups during the period 2023-24 by Zero Plastic Movement’s volunteers; a force which numbers over 11,000 and comprising state and private sector universities across the country’. 

According to the press release, the artists working on creating the elephant have received advice and guidelines from Sri Lankan artist and sculptor Lalith Senanayake, who is at present on a working assignment in Canada. (RN)