Fish shows scale of rubbish worry
A GIANT fish filled with rubbish in the Wonga Beach State School grounds is just the start of a multifaceted education project.
The Daintree’s Solar Whisper Wildlife Cruise operator David White constructed the metal frame of the fish while students busied themselves collecting rubbish from nearby beaches.
Teacher Rick Weimar said the rubbish was collected, sorted and recorded as part of an activity with Tangaroa Blue.
“This year we decided to use the rubbish to do an art installation as we have made some great sculptures previously,” he said.
“The bottle tops all had to be hand punched to slide over the metal spines on the dorsal fin.
“We didn’t fill it completely with our beach rubbish so we also used empty cans and chip packets from the school disco. The flaps at the rear are still open so we can keep adding rubbish until it is completely filled.”
Mr Weimar said a concrete base was laid for the fish to stand on and there were plans for a mural to go on the wall behind it.
Children even got a crash course in linear and volume measurements.
Mr White said he hoped the sculpture would be a constant reminder of the need to look after the environment.
“Some say in 50 years the oceans will have more plastic than fish,” he said.
“So this rubbish fish could be our future fish, literally.
“We can all make a difference from the choices we make if we just reduce, re-use and recycle.
“It’s up to all of us to look after our oceans.”