(Reuters) — An environment group has launched a 50-foot (15.2-metre) sculpture of a dead whale made out of plastic waste in a campaign to raise awareness about the effects of dumping rubbish in the sea and on the beach.
Greenpeace Philippines mounted the sculpture on Thursday (May 11) on the shores of Naic town in Cavite Province, south of Manila, using over 60 kg of plastic bottles, cups, bags and other disposable waste found around the community.
Campaigner Abigail Aguilar, who took part in the making of the sculpture, says the installation aims to serve as a wake-up call to curb the growing number of plastic waste in the ocean.
A 2015 report published in the journal Science said the Philippines ranked third for the amount of plastic waste dumped in the ocean, with China and Indonesia leading the list. An average of 2.7 million metric tons of plastic garbage is generated in the Philippines each year, 20 percent of which ends up in the ocean, it added.