The British Council organized an environmental event this week entitled “Turn Litter into Art” with the cooperation of Friends of Jeddah Parks and local companies interested in the preservation of environment. The activity, which took place at Al-Faisal Sports Park in Jeddah's Nuzla Al-Yamaniya District, was organized with the aim of raising awareness of the importance of reusing waste material and how such material can be made into beautiful works of art while at the same time saving natural resources, according to Mohammed Shaiju, British Council project coordinator and event organizer. Students who participated in the activity were briefed on the aims and objectives of the program, the benefits of recycling and reusing materials and how this helps the environment by the head of a local recycling company. The activity is in two stages with the participation of members of the local community, volunteers from environmental groups and high school and university students. “The first stage, which we are doing today, is collecting discarded plastic and paper materials from a specific location in Jeddah. In the second stage, young people will create works of art or useful products out of this material,” explained Shaiju. Young Saudis from Nuzla Al-Yamaniya actively participated in the event. “This is a new experience for us. We usually throw the tins or bottles on the street after drinking soft drinks because we know the municipality cleaners will come and pick them up. Today we picked up the trash ourselves and cleaned our neighborhood, and we learned how we could reuse many of the materials that usually we throw away,” said a young Saudi. In the second stage of “Turn Litter into Art”, which will be held on March 6 at Al-Faisal Sports Park, participants will create and display works of art or useful products made from the discarded material. Prizes will be given for the most beautiful work of art and the most useful product.
