Bottle top artwork created from recycled plastics unveiled at Stockport exchange

Artwork created from thousands of recycled plastic bottle-tops donated by the local community has been unveiled at the Stockport Exchange, becoming the second-largest of its kind in the UK. 

The artwork inspired by the River Mersey was made by Caitlin Marie Atherton from the Plastic Shed, a community led organisation bringing people together through creative reuse of plastic waste. 

Caitlin was helped by 300 volunteers, including children from dozens of Stockport schools. 

The artwork is the largest Caitlin has ever created and the largest piece of artwork located nearby at Merseyway. 

Community effort

Caitlin said the project was a “beautiful experience” and said that her work “enables people to view ‘waste’ in a new way”.

She added that she hopes “to make Stockport the recycled plastic mural capital of the world”.

A community event was held this month to mark the official unveiling of the artwork, with people enjoying food and drink, stalls and free games. 

The mural was unveiled by Caitlin, along with Danny Vaughan, Transport for Greater Manchester Chief network officer. 

Danny said that it was “brilliant to see so many people from the local community come together to unveil this fantastic new addition to the interchange’”.

The artwork will be permanently displayed in the main area used by buses when picking up passengers. People are encouraged to enjoy the artwork from Viaduct Park, the interchange and from trains travelling through Stockport along the town’s viaduct.