JEDDAH: Saudi artist Khulood Al-Fadli, in collaboration with local environmental organizations and Jeddah municipality, has created a gigantic mural using recycled plastic bottle caps.
In a festive atmosphere, the artist inaugurated the mural along with local authorities after spending over eight months and using almost a ton of plastic waste to build it along with volunteers.
Al-Fadli’s art strives to eliminate plastic waste pollution. The eco-mural prevented thousands of pieces of plastic from ending up in the trash.
Khulood Al-Fadli got ample support from Green Leaves School students, family, friends and a growing number of plastic bottle cap donors for her project. (Supplied)
The artist told Arab News she wanted “to do something that really impacted people,” and raise awareness on environmental issues in the Kingdom.
“Alhamdullah, we opened the mural to be the most beautiful and largest mural of reused plastic caps in the world, symbolizing a green Saudi Arabia and its goal to preserve the environment,” Al-Fadli said.
A large number of corniche visitors witnessed the unveiling of the new mural, which covers an area of 383 square meters and is covered with 500,000 plastic caps.
The project could be in contention for a Guinness World Record, according to the artist.
Saudi artist Khulood Al-Fadli has created a gigantic mural using recycled plastic bottle caps. (Supplied)
And it is not the first time Al-Fadli has beaten a record, as she claimed the Guinness World Record for the largest world map created using plastic water caps. The 250-square-meter world map was made using 350,000 plastic bottle caps in 2021.
The new mural as a sustainable project is in line with the aspirations of Saudi Vision 2030, and symbolizes a green Saudi Arabia, as well as representing its past, present and bright future.
In the past eight months, Al-Fadli and her team went through a number of steps in making the mural a reality. The plastic caps were collected as a community effort, with contributions from Green Leaves School students, family, friends and a growing number of plastic bottle cap donors. The caps were cleaned, positioned, and finishing touches added.
Al-Fadli’s students also helped created the mosaic mural and learned the importance of repurposing plastic in the process. The children also visited the mural with Al-Fadli, who is the school’s principal, after its completion.
The artist explained that the children participate in many environmental sustainability projects, including cleaning beaches and landscaping in public parks. They were also involved in the 2021 record-breaking world map.
On her future project, she added: “Until now, I have not decided what the other plan is, but it will certainly be a project that aims at reusing plastic with the participation of our community.
“I will not stop spreading awareness among the community in reusing plastic instead of returning it.”
