Mumbai: Recycledelic FIFA Mural, an installation made from more than 7,000 recyclable plastic bottle caps, was unveiled at CBD Belapur on Thursday.
The mural has been created by the Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation (NMMC) and Green Society Forum’s Green Placemakers under the Swachh Bharat and Swachh Navi Mumbai campaigns. About 6.5 feet in diameter and weighing 250 kg, it has been placed opposite the NMMC headquarters on Palm Beach Road.
Navi Mumbai is one of the cities that will host the FIFA U-17 World Cup, starting Friday.
Tushar Pawar, Deputy Municipal Commissioner, Solid Waste Department, said, “The vision is to transform Navi Mumbai into a zero-waste, eco-friendly city.” He said the NMMC has always encouraged ‘smart art’, and had earlier created the Mother India Board, a map of India, using e-waste.
Benoy K., concept director of Green Society Forum, said, “The bottle caps were collected from across Navi Mumbai in five days.” He said the mural was completed by a 10-member team from the forum. It is a permanent structure, and is affixed to a wooden base, which is also made from waste material.
Jaspal Singh Naol, social initiative director of the forum, said, “There is a need to engage people in social transformation. Creative and innovative green methodology can transform human behaviour towards nature.”
Kishor Biswas, art director of Green Society Forum, said that as a pilot project, the forum and NMMC have opened a drop-off centre at Mango Garden, CBD Belapur. “People can drop off any old and unused plastic goods, toys or cycles, so that they can be turned into art.”