T R A S H E D Art Installation 2023

Plastic Trash from 6 Beach Clean-Ups by Sandy Kuhn

Poly Trying on the Trash Suit Pants

Meet Poly Polymer, the mannequin wearing the trash suit. Thank you to Rob Greenfield https://linktr.ee/robjgreenfield for your inspiration and allowing me to borrow your trash suit. My art installation is a visual representation of how much plastic may be found on our beaches. Most of the objects in the suit are NOT RECYCLABLE NOR REUSABLE. 100% of plastic objects are made and used by humans.

Drying and Sorting Plastic Pieces

Found Objects

1. Styrofoam= (plates, to-go containers, pieces) Too numerous to count (TNTC)

2. Plastic Film (food products, chip, candy, granola wrappers)=TNTC

3. Micro Plastic=TNTC

4. Bottle Caps=261

5. Cups (lids, containers)=141

6. Straws and stir sticks=122

7. Tanglers (rope, zip ties, fishing line, ribbon)=76

8. Toys and sporting goods=70

9. Personal Items=40

10. Bottles=35

11. Art supplies (pens, markers, glue sticks, pencil sharpener)=30

12. Fast Fashion (clothing, shoes, sun glasses, hats, cell phone cases)=27

13. Utensils=26

14. Smoking/Vape Products=14 (doesn’t include 100’s of toxic cigarette butts)

15. Mocha the dog (not included)

How did all of this end up on the beach?

Humans consume items packaged in single use plastics. Millions of tons of debris wash down the watershed (gutters to storm drains to rivers) to the ocean. Plastic can take up to 500 years to breakdown in our environment and when it does it becomes micro plastics. Studies have shown that we eat, drink and breathe micro plastics. In addition to all the animals and organisms that are affected by the plastic trash.

What Can We Do to Reduce our Plastic Waste?

1. BYO reusable bags to shop

2. Shop at Farmer's Markets (don't forget your reusable bags)

3. Think before you buy...Ask yourself: is this worth 500 years in a landfill?

4. Refuse Styrofoam containers at take out restaurants and BYO containers

5. Hold plastic producers responsible – recycling doesn’t work

6. Address your politicians on the subject

7. Use a refillable water bottle/cup...many coffee shops are allowing BYO

8. Shop at local fill/zero waste stores that allow you to BYO containers (see below)

9. As a last resort, if you must buy items in plastic, then reuse and repurpose them

10. Eat less meat

Thank you to all the volunteers that educate and help to keep our waterways and beaches clean. Thank you for allowing me to collect plastic waste for this art installation:

1. Surfrider Huntington/Seal Beach https://linktr.ee/surfridernorthoc

2. Surfrider South Bay @surfridersouthbay

3. Huntington Dog Beach www.dogbeach.org

4. National Art Honor Society through Orange County School of the Arts

Fill/Zero Waste Shops

Fill Up Buttercup https://linktr.ee/Fillupbuttercup

Amis del Terre https://linktr.ee/amisdelaterremarket

Bring Your Own Long Beach https://byolongbeach.com/