Birmingham's bronze bull in green

Jun 2 2008

BULLRING’S famous bronze bull locked horns with a replica of itself – made from drinks cans.

The life-size model, made from recycled Coca-Cola cans, was unveiled at the Bullring to mark the start of recycling week.

Birmingham-based artist Pamina Stewart re-created the bull in a bid to encourage more people to recycle their drinks cans and bottles.

Pamina said she was thrilled to be part of the project.

She said: "Bullring is so iconic for Birmingham, it made total sense to produce a representation of the original bull but with a twist.

"It was obviously vital that the bull was made from sustainable materials, so I made the frame from willow and incorporated the cans carefully so that they can easily be dissembled and recycled in the future."

It is estimated that only a third of people in Birmingham currently recycle their household waste.

Council cabinet transportation member Len Gregory said that although the number of people recycling is rising more needed to be done. He said: "Taking simple steps such as ensuring that we recycle all our aluminium cans means we can save significant energy and reduce what goes into Birmingham’s waste stream."

The bullring model unveiling was just one of the events taking place across the city as part of the current Climate Change Festival.

People traded in their plastic carrier bags in return for re-usable cotton ones at a recycling roadshow in Centenary Square.

Up to 5,000 bags will be handed out during the festival, which runs until Sunday June 8.

A council spokesman said: "Plastic is one of the most difficult and uneconomical things to recycle.

"It’s about giving people a permanent alternative to use as well as recycling what people use in their household already."

It is hoped the programme of events - which includes street theatre, an eco show home and fair trade market - will highlight issues of climate change and sustainability.

The council has set the target of reducing their carbon footprint by 60 per cent by 2026 ahead of the UK target of 60 per cent by 2050.

* For a full programme of events go to www.climatechange festival.org.uk.