A GRANDMOTHER is calling for a new recycling initiative to help reduce litter in our town.

Karen Jane Stapley, from Park North, would like to see a Swindon equivalent of the giant plastic-gobbling fish sculpture in Westward Ho!

“I was walking through the town centre looking at the state of things and all the rubbish everywhere, and I just thought something needs to be done about it,” said Karen.

The keen recycler had the idea after seeing the steel installation called Philup the fish on the promenade of The Carousel Amusements when visiting her parents who live near Barnstaple.

People are encouraged to fill the fish with their empty plastic bottles, which are then recycled by Torridge District Council. The aim is to cut the amount of plastic ending up in the sea.

“It gets pretty full,” said Karen. “Because as a village they are trying to be as plastic free as possible. As an idea, the fish does seem to be working.”

She continued: “If we had a sculpture here it would encourage people to clean up after themselves.

“I try to recycle wherever I can. Not for me, but for my grandchildren, it’s their future.”

“It could be something that local businesses can help design or that schools could be involved in. It would be a doubled edged for thing for them because they would be able to get some promotion out of it and people tidy up more, and keep the town nicer for everyone,” she added.

Karen suggested something similar in the shape of a giant train to fit in with Swindon’s history, or a giant boat at Coate Water Country Park.

“They’ve got water there and presumably they don’t want plastic in the water so it could be a good thing to stop pollution there,” said Karen.

MP for South Swindon Robert Buckland is on board. “This is a very interesting idea, which I will be pursuing with Swindon Borough Council.

“It is a good way to encourage people to recycle plastics, however, it is more crucial to steer people away from single use plastics.

“Perhaps something like this would work, along with a sign advising and encouraging people to use alternatives, such as a flask, which can be refilled at any Swindon refill point.”

Julian Jones, one of the co-ordinators of Swindon Climate Action Network said the group would get behind the initiative if it came to Swindon.

He said: “It’s a lovely way to engage people with the environmental problem. I think it also gets people thinking about the wider issues of the climate and the natural emergencies we face.”

Ben Bell, the central coordinator for Plastic Free Swindon added: “I can see it as a positive thing if it keeps recycling in people’s minds but I think the message needs to be quite clear. Plastic pollutes all along its production, the transport stage, right through to recycling.

“These positive things are steps and that’s good thing. But we need to stop the flow of plastic in first place, and deal with the plastic that’s out there. Recycling plastic slows down the rate of pollution only, which is why we advocate for a system of reuse.”