Rubbish dumped at an Albion Premier League game will be used to create a new art installation at the Amex Community Stadium.
THE sculpture, being unveiled this Saturday (October 27) before the Wolves game, will be a larger than life football made entirely from plastic, paper, cardboard, tin cans and other debris left behind at the recent Spurs match.
The art is part of a drive by the city council, the football club and environmental charity Hubbub to raise awareness of the vast amounts of litter left in and around the stadium on match days.
It’s also encourages fans to take pride in their city and remember that 35 per cent of fish off the Brighton coast have plastic in their gut and a massive 80 per cent of ocean plastics come from the land.
Through fun and education, supporters young and old will be encouraged to bin their litter in and outside of the ground.
This will include a group of special litter referees who will mingle within the crowds issuing ‘cards’ for good litter and recycling behaviour, which can be exchanged for a number of Albion-related prizes, such as player cards, wristbands, car stickers, key rings and pin badges at a special Trashconverter.
Cllr Gill Mitchell, chair of the council’s environment, transport and sustainability committee, said: “Fans get so caught up in the game and the atmosphere they can forget to bin their litter properly, especially when there are thousands of other supporters milling around.
“This sculpture will bring litter to the attention of the fans and be a football-related reminder of how much rubbish is tossed onto the ground before, during and after a game rather than binned properly.”
There will also be goal-shaped litter and recycling bins for fans to ditch their rubbish, plus half-time announcements promoting the campaign.
The day is part of the #StreetsAhead campaign that was launched in August 2017 by the council and Hubbub to create litter free streets and prevent rubbish ending up in the sea.
Albion facilities manager David Baker said: “Our supporters have always shown a commitment to keeping our stadia and surrounding area clean and tidy going back to our days at Withdean when a team of supporters used to complete litter clearances in the local area following each match.
“Since moving to the American Express Community Stadium we have seen a continual increase in the amount of recycling we produce thanks to supporters making use of the facilities available.
“We are delighted to be working with Hubbub and Brighton and Hove City Council as part of the Streets Ahead campaign to raise further awareness of this and encourage even greater use of these facilities both at our venues and elsewhere.
“The campaign also links closely to the work we are doing with the Premier league and Sky in support of their Ocean Rescue project.”
Alex Robinson, Hubbub Enterprise’s Managing Director, added: “A huge amount of litter is entering the sea and plastic pollution has become one of our most pressing environmental and health concerns.
“Sports stadiums present a great opportunity to engage people in innovative ways and help to stem the tide of litter.”
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