Recycled art from plastic waste for environmental sustainability and aesthetics in Ghana
Main Article Content
Abstract
The study rooted in the eco-innovation theory aimed at investigating the effects of plastic waste in the Kokrobite and Bortianor communities in Accra while finding proactive ways of using recycled art from plastic waste, with post-use packages in focus to sensitize community members on the negative effects of plastic waste. Phenomenology and art studio-based research designs under the qualitative approach were adopted for the study. The study was carried out from August 2021 to July 2022. Personal interviews and focus group discussions with 72 snowball and purposively sampled study participants. The data from the study were analysed using the Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis. The study revealed that the improper management of post-used plastic items in the study areas was a major factor that contributed to environmental pollution. An artistic installation was executed using plastic waste. Visually, it enhanced the environmental aesthetics in the community while philosophically serving as a sensitization tool on the effects of plastic waste. In the quest for a solution to plastic pollution, innovation from post-used plastic items is the ultimate answer. The Ministry of Education and Ghana Education Service in collaboration with the Ministry of Environment Science Technology and Innovation and the Ministry of Tourism Arts and Culture can organize such competitions to reward students of all levels who create innovative products from plastic waste.
Downloads
Article Details
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
This open-access article is distributed under a Creative Commons Attribution (CC-BY) 4.0 license.
You are free to: Share — copy and redistribute the material in any medium or format. Adapt — remix, transform, and build upon the material for any purpose, even commercially. The licensor cannot revoke these freedoms as long as you follow the license terms.
Under the following terms: Attribution — You must give appropriate credit, provide a link to the license, and indicate if changes were made. You may do so in any reasonable manner, but not in any way that suggests the licensor endorses you or your use.
No additional restrictions You may not apply legal terms or technological measures that legally restrict others from doing anything the license permits.
How to Cite
References
Al-Banna, F. (2019) ‘Recycling and artwork’, Available at: https://www.ecomena.org/tag/art/ (Accessed: 20/04/2022).
Ahamed, A., Veksha, A., Giannis, A. & Lisak, G. (2021).Flexible packaging plastic waste – environmental implications, management solutions, and the way forward. Current Opinion in Chemical Engineering, 32,100684, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.coche.2021.100684
Amobonye, A., Bhagwat, P., Singh, S. & Pillai, S. (2021). Plastic biodegradation: Frontline microbes and their enzymes. Science of the Total Environment, 759, 143536, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.143536
Andrady, A. L. (2011). Microplastics in the marine environment. Mar. Pollut. Bull., 62(8), 1596–1605, doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpolbul.2011.05.030
Artsper magazine (10th November, 2018). 10 Artists Working in Recycled Art. Available at: https://blog.artsper.com/en/get-inspired/top-10-of-recycled-art/ (Accessed: 20/06/2022).
Baškarada, S. (2014). Qualitative case study guidelines. The Qualitative Report, 19(40), 1-18. Retrieved from http://nsuworks.nova.edu/tqr/vol19/iss40/3
Bicycle, J. (2014). The arts and environmental sustainability: an international overview. Available at: www.ifacca.org
Boafo Y. A., Asiedu, A. B., Addo, K. A., Asiedu, A. & Boakye-Danquah, J. (2014). Assessing landcover changes from coastal tourism development in Ghana: Evidence from the Kokrobite-Bortianor Coastline, Accra. Civil & Environmental Research, 6(6), 9-19.
Boucher, J. & Friot, D. (2017). Primary microplastics in the oceans: a global evaluation of sources. Gland, Switzerland: IUCN. https://doi .org/10 .2305/IUCN. CH .2017 .01.en
Belfiore, E. & Bennett, O. (2006). Rethinking the social impact of the arts: A critical-historical review. Centre of Cultural Policy, University of Warwick, Coventry, UK.
Borrelle,S. B., Rochman, C. M., Liboiron, M., Bond, A. L. & Provencher, J. F. (2017). Opinion: Why we need an international agreement on marine plastic pollution. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 114(38), 9994-9997.
Carrillo-Hermosilla, J., Del Río, P. & Könnölä, T. (2010). Diversity of eco-innovations: reflections from selected case studies. J. Clean. Prod., 18(10–11), 1073–1083.
Chamas, A., Moon, H., Zheng, J., Qiu, Y. & Suh, S. (2020) ‘Degradation rates of plastics in the environment’. ACS Sustain. Chem. Eng., 8, 3494–3511.doi: https://doi.org/10.1021/acssuschemeng.9b06635.
Chen, C. C., Dai, L., Ma, L. & Guo, R. (2020). Enzymatic degradation of plant biomass and synthetic polymers. Nat. Rev. Chem., 4, 114–126.
Coemans, S. & Hannes, K. (2017). Researchers under the spell of the arts: Two decades of using arts-based methods in community-based inquiry with vulnerable populations. Educ. Res. Rev., 22, 34–49.
Creswell, J. W. (2003) Research design: Qualitative, quantitative and mixed methods approaches. (2nd edn., pp. 1-16). London, UK.
Cregut, M., Bedas, M., Durand, M. J. & Thouand, G. (2013). New insights into polyurethane biodegradation and realistic prospects for the development of a sustainable waste recycling process. Biotechnol. Adv., 31(8), 1634–1647. https://doi.org/10.1016/j. biotechadv.2013.08.011
Curtis, D. J. (2009). Creating inspiration: the role of the arts in creating empathy for ecological restoration. Ecological Management & Restoration, 10(3), 174-184. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1442-8903.2009.00487.x.
Curtis. D. J. (2012). Towards a culture of landcare: The arts in community capacity building for natural resources management. Journal of Environmental Assessment Policy and Management, 13(4), 673-696.
Curtis, D., J., Reid, N. & Ballard, G. (2012). Communicating ecology through Art: What scientists think. Ecology & Society, 17(2), 191-206.
Coemans, S. & Hannes, K. (2017). Researchers under the spell of the arts: Two decades of using arts-based methods in community-based inquiry with vulnerable populations. Educ. Res. Rev., 22, 34–49.
Das, T. K. (2020). Industrial Environmental Management: Engineering, Science, and Policy, Wiley. Available at: https://www.wiley.com/en/us/Industrial+Environmental+Management:+Engineering,+Science,+and+Policy-p-9781119666950 (accessed: 02/07/2022).
Debref, R. (2018). Environmental Innovation: A Controversial Doctrine. Wiley.
Dissanayake, E. (1995.) Homo aestheticus: where art comes from and why. Seattle: University of Washington Press.
Directive (2008/98/EC) ‘on Waste and Repealing Certain Directives’. Available at: https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=celex% 3A32008L0098. (Accessed 12 December 2020).
Dragan, I-M. & Isaic-Maniu, A. (2013), Snowball Sampling Completion. Journal of Studies in Social Sciences. ISSN 2201-4624. Volume 5, Number 2, 2013, 160-177
European Commission (2007). Competitiveness and Innovation Framework Programme, (2007 to 2013). Brussels.
Evode, N., Qamar, S. A., Bilal, M., Barceló, D. & Iqbal, H. M. (2021). Plastic waste and its management strategies for environmental sustainability. Case Studies in Chemical and Environmental Engineering, 4, 100142.
Fauziah, S., Liyana, I. & Agamuthu, P. (2015).Plastic debris in the coastal environment: The invincible threat? Abundance of buried plastic debris on Malaysian beaches, 33191 (2015), 812–821.
Freitas H., Oliveira, M., Jenkins, M. & Popjoy, O. (1998). The focus group, a qualitative research method. ISRC, Merrick School of Business, University of Baltimore (MD, EUA), WP ISRC No. 010298, February 1998. 22 p.
Fobil, J. N. & Hogarh J. N. (2006). The Dilemmas of Plastic Wastes in a Developing Economy: Proposals for a Sustainable Management Approach for Ghana. West African Journal of Applied Ecology, 10(1), 1-8. Available at: https://www.ajol.info/index.php/wajae/article/view/45716, Doi: https://doi.org/10.4314/wajae.v10i1.45716.
Fussler, C. & James, P. (1996). Driving eco-innovation: a break-through discipline for innovation and sustainability. London: Pitman Publication
Galloway, T. S. & Lewis, C. N. (2016). Marine microplastics spell big problems for future generations. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci., 113, 2331–2333. doi: https://doi.org/10.1073/ pnas.1600715113.
Geissdoerfer, M., Savaget, P., Bocken, N. M., & Hultink, E. J. (2017). The Circular Economy–A new sustainability paradigm?. Journal of Cleaner Production, 143, 757-768.
Geyer, R., Jambeck J. R. & Law, K. L. (2017). Production, use, and fate of all plastics ever made. Science Advances, 3, 25–29. Doi: https://doi .org/10 .1126/ science.1252826
Gibson, L. (2001). The uses of art: constructing Australian identities. University of Queensland Press, St Lucia, Queensland, Australia.
Green, J. & Whitebread, E. (2019) Tackling Plastic Waste and Pollution for Human Health and Marine Biodiversity- A Call for Global Action. Tearfund & Fauna and Flora International. https://www.tearfund.org
Ghana Statistical Service (2010). PHC Demographic, Social, Economic and Housing Characteristics. GSS: Accra, Ghana.
Gu, L. & Ozbakkaloglu, T. (2016). Use of recycled plastics in concrete: a critical review. Waste Manag., 51, 19–42. Doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j. wasman.2016.03.005.
Gu, J. D. (2021). Biodegradability of plastics: the issues, recent advances, and future perspectives. Environ. Sci. Pollut. Control Ser., 28(2), 1278–1282.
Guimarães de Queiroz, R., Pereira, C. C. and Gimenes, R. M. T. (2021). Eco-Innovation in Corporate Management: A Systematic Review. International Journal of Development Research, 11(9), 50237-50246 DOI: https://doi.org/10.37118/ijdr.22735.09.2021
Hayley J. (2019). Connecting Art and Science: An Artist’s Perspective on Environmental Sustainability. University of Vermont
Henderson, L. & Green, C. (2020). Making sense of microplastics? Public understandings of plastic pollution. Mar. Pollut. Bull., 152, 110908. Doi:10.1016/j.marpolbul. 2020.110908
Hopewell, J., Dvorak, R. & Kosior, E. (2009). Plastics recycling: challenges and opportunities. Philosophic. Transact. of the Roy. Societ. B: Biologic. Sci., 364(1526), 2115–2126.
Hou, Q., Zhen, M., Qian, H., Nie, Y., Bai, X., Xia, T., & Ju, M. (2021). Upcycling and catalytic degradation of plastic wastes. Cell Reports Physical Science, 2(8), 100514.
Jambeck, J. R. Geyer, R, Wilcox, C., Siegler, T. R., Perryman, M, & Andrady, A. (2015). Plastic waste inputs from land into the ocean. Science, 347(6223), 768–771. Doi: https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1260352.
Kagan, S. (2014). The practice of ecological art. Institute of Sociology and Cultural Organization. Lüneburg: Leuphana University. ISSN 2101-0323.
Kaye, G. (2013). Art and sustainability. International Journal of Cultural Policy, 19(1), 141-143. doi: https://doi.org/10.1080/10286632.2012.672977.
Kelly, S. (2010). Qualitative interviewing techniques and styles. In: Bourgeault I, Dingwall R and de Vries R (eds) The Sage Handbook of Qualitative Methods in Health Research. Thousand Oaks: Sage Publications.
Kemp, R. & Pearson, P. (2007). Final Report MEI Project about Measuring EcoInnovation’: Deliverable 15 of MEI project (D15). Project Report, Maastricht, 4, 5 p.
Kindvall, L. (2019). Making art for sustainability? A qualitative study about identifying artists’ perspective on the relationship between environmental art and sustainable development. (Dissertation). Retrieved from http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:uu:diva-386184
Kortei, N. K. & Quansah, L. (2016). Plastic Waste Management in Ghana. Accessed on March 13, 2021, Available at: https://www.graphic.com.gh
Kulnieks, A., Longboat, D., Sheridan, J., & Young, K. (2016). Oral history education through poetic inquiry: Developing ecologically sustainable language arts curriculum. Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives Quarterly Journal on Education, 25(2), 127-134.
Lambert, A. M. & Khosla, M. R. (2000). Environmental Art and Restoration. Ecological Restoration, 18(2), 109.
Levitt, H. M., Wertz, F., J., Motulsky, S., L., & Morrow, S., L., (2017). Recommendations for Designing and Reviewing Qualitative Research in Psychology: Promoting Methodological Integrity. Qualitative Psychology, 4(1), 2–22. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/qup0000082
Leavy, P. (2015). Method Meets Art: Arts-Based Research Practice. Guilford Publications: New York, NY, USA.
Lester, S. (1999). An introduction to phenomenological research. Taunton UK: Stan Lester Developments.
Li, Q. (2020). Methodology, In: Embodying Data. Singapore: Springer Doi: 10.1007/978-981-15-5069-0_6
Lienig, J. & Bruemmer, H. (2017). Recycling Requirements and Design for Environmental Compliance. Fundamentals of Electronic Systems Design, 193–218. Doi:10.1007/978-3-319-55840-0_7
Leedy, P. D. & Ormrod, J. E. (2010).Practical research planning and design. Available at: https://pcefet.com/common/library/books/51/2590_%5BPaul_D._Leedy,_Jeanne_Ellis_Ormrod%5D_Practical_Res(b-ok.org).pdf (Accessed: 12/072022)
Lesso, R. (2020).Power & Purpose: The History of African American Quilting. Available at: https://blog.fabrics-store.com/2020/10/20/power-and-purpose-the-history-of-african-american-quilting
Logé, G., Peñaloza, L. & Guintcheva, G. (2010). On the impossibility of sustainable development without culture: The Gaze on Art and Perspectives on a Cultural Approach to Marketing’. EDHEC Business School.
Lopes, A. C., Farinba, J. & Amado, M, (2017). Sustainability Through Art. Energy Procedia 119 (2017) 752–766. Available at: https://research.unl.pt/ws/portalfiles/portal/5377975/Sustainability_through_Art.pdf
Lopez, F. R., Wickson, F. & Hausner, V. (2018). Finding Creative Voice: Applying Arts-Based Research in the Context of Biodiversity Conservation. Sustainability, 10(6), 1778; https://doi.org/10.3390/su10061778
Mansour, H., Al- Yahyai, F. & Heiba, E. (2018). The Recycling Concept in Art Education at Sultan Qaboos University’. doi: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.2526431
Matjašič, T. Simčič, T., Medvešček, N., Bajt, O., Dreo, T., & Mori, N. (2021). Critical evaluation of biodegradation studies on synthetic plastics through a systematic literature review. Sci. Total Environ., 752, 141959.
Maric, B. (2016) One Man's Trash is Another Man's Recycled Art. Available at: https://www.widewalls.ch/magazine/what-is-recycled-art-meaning (Accessed: 24/022022)
Marshall, C. (2010). A Research Design for Studio-Based Research in Art. Teaching Artist Journal, 8(2), 77-87
Mays N. & Pope C. (1995). Qualitative research: Observational methods in health care settings. BMJ: British Medical Journal, 311,182–4.
Meade, M. (2008). Creative Ecology: Art’s Role in Addressing Environmental and Sustainability Issues in Australia. Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection. 583.
Mears, E. (2018). Recycling as Creativity: An Environmental Approach to Twentieth-Century American Art. American Studies Journal 64 (2018). Web. 10 Aug. 2022 Doi: https://doi.org/10.18422/64-05
Menzel, C., Broma, J. & Heidbreder, L, M. (2021). Explicitly and implicitly measured valence and risk attitudes towards plastic packaging, plastic waste, and microplastic in a German sample. Sustainable Production and Consumption, S2352550921002517, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.spc.2021.08.016
Milbourne, K., (2014). African photographers and the look of (un)sustainability in the African landscape. Africa Today, 61(1), 115-140. https://doi.org/10.2979/africatoday.61.1.115.
Moser, S. C. & Dilling, L. (2007).Creating a climate for change: communicating climate change and facilitating social change. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK.doi: http:// dx.doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511535871.
Nesci,O. & Valentini, L. (2020). Science, poetry, and music for landscapes of the Marche region, Italy: communicating the conservation of natural heritage. Geoscience Communication, 3, 393–406. Doi: https://doi.org/10.5194/gc-3-393-2020
Oltra, V. & Saint Jean, M. (2009). Sectoral systems of environmental innovation: an application to the French automotive industry. Technological Forecasting & Social Change, 76, 567-583.
Owusu-Sekyere, E. (2013). An Analysis of the Plastic Waste Collection and Wealth Linkages in Ghana. Mphil. Thesis, Faculty of Integrated Development Studies, University of Development Studies, Ghana.
Osborn, M. & Smith, J. A. (2008). The Fearfulness of Chronic Pain and the Centrality of the Therapeutic Relationship in Containing It: An Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis. Qualitative Research in Psychology, 5(4), 276-288. DOI: 10.1080/14780880701826143.
Pablo del Río, Kiefer, C. P., Carrillo-Hermosilla, J.,&Könnölä, T.(2021). Chapter 2 At the Crossroad: The Circular Economy Within the Broader Picture. Springer Science and Business Media LLC.
Papanek, V. (2005).Design for The Real World: Human Ecology and Social Change. Chicago: Academy Chicago Publishers
Parker, C., Scott, S. & Geddes, A. (2019). Snowball Sampling. SAGE research methods foundations. UK
Polfus, J. L., Simmons, D., Neyelle, M., Bayha, W., Andrew, L. & Merkle, B. G. (2017). Creative convergence: Exploring biocultural diversity through art. Ecol. Soc., 22, 4.
Webb, H. K. et al. (2013). Plastic degradation and its environmental implications with special reference to poly (ethylene terephthalate). Polymers, 5(1), 1–18. https://doi.org/10.3390/polym5010001
Pietkiewicz, I. & Smith, J. A. (2014). A practical guide to using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis in qualitative research psychology. Czasopismo Psychologiczne – Psychological Journal, 20, 1, 7-14. oi: https://doi.org/10.14691/CPPJ.20.1.7.
Provencher, J. E., Bond, A., L., Avery-Gomm, S., Borrelle, S., B., Rebolledo E., L., B. & Hammer, S. (2017). Quantifying ingested debris in marine megafauna: A review and recommendations for standardization. Anal. Methods, 9, 1454–1469. https://doi.org/10.1039/c6ay02419j.
Przybylek, S. (2020). Recycled Art: History and Materials. Available at: https://study.com/academy/lesson/recycled-art-history-materials.html. (Accessed: 12/01/2022)
Reichold, K. & Graf, B. (1998). Paintings that changed the world: from Lascaux to Picasso. Munich, Germany: Prestel
Rorrer, N. A. et al. (2019). Combining reclaimed PET with bio-based monomers enables plastics upcycling. Joule, 3, 1006–1027
Shams, M., Alam, I, & Mahbub, M., S. (2021). Plastic pollution during COVID-19: Plastic waste directives and its long-term impact on the environment. Environmental Advances, 5, 100119. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envadv.2021.100119.
Sharma, B., Shekhar, S., Sharma, S., & Jain, P. (2021). The paradigm in conversion of plastic waste into value added materials. Cleaner Engineering and Technology, 4, 100254.
Silva, A., L., P., Prata, J., C., Walker, T., R., Campos, D., Duarte, A., C., Soares, A. & M., V., M. (2020). Rethinking and optimising plastic waste management under COVID-19 pandemic: Policy solutions based on redesign and reduction of single-use plastics and personal protective equipment. Sci. Total Environ., 742, 140565.
Strauss, A. & Corbin, J. (2008).Basics of Qualitative Research: Techniques and Procedures for Developing Grounded Theory (3rd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage
Subramanian M. N. (Ed.) (2019). Plastics Waste Management. Wiley.
Szostak, E. Duda, P., Duda, A., Gorska, N., Fenicki, A. & Molski, P. (2021). Characteristics of plastic waste processing in the modern recycling plant operating in Poland. Energies, 14(1), 35.
Thornes, J. E. (2008). A Rough Guide to Environmental Art. Annual Review of Environment and Resources, 33(1), 391-411. Doi: 10.1146/annurev.environ.31.042605.134920
United Nations Development Programme (2019). Behavioural Change is Critical in Addressing Plastic Waste in Ghana. Available at: https://www.undp.org/ghana/press-releases/behavioural-change-critical-addressing-plastic-menace (Accessed on May 25, 2020).
Vanapalli K., R. Samal, B., Dubey, B., K., & Bhattacharya, J. (2019). Emissions and Environmental Burdens Associated With Plastic Solid Waste Management. Elsevier Inc., https://doi.org/10.1016/b978-0-12-813140-4.00012-1
Vasko, Z. (2015). Connections between Artistic Practice and Experiences in Nature: Considerations for how Art Education Can Engender Ecological Awareness. Canadian Review of Art Education: Research & Issues, 42(2), 69-79.
Wassener, B. (2011). Raising Awareness of plastic waste. Available at: https://www.nytimes.com/2011/08/15/business/energy-environment/raising-awareness-of-plastic-waste.html.
Weckhuysen, B. M. (2020). Creating value from plastic waste. Science, 370, 400–401.
Wye, L., Lasseter, G. John Percival, J., Lorna Duncan, L.,Simmonds, B. & Purdy, S.(2014). What works in ‘real life’ to facilitate home deaths and fewer hospital admissions for those at end of life? BMC Palliative Care, 13, 37.
Yintii, B. B., Anim-Gyampo, M. &Braimah, M. M. (2014). Household Perspective of Plastic Waste Management in Urban Ghana: A Case Study of the Bolgatanga Municipality. G.J.B.A.H.S., 3(2):18-26
Yulianto, N. & Sulistyo, E. T. (2019). Plastic Waste-Based Recycle Art Co-Creation to Enhance the Schools Resident Creative Culture. Atlantis Press SARL. https://doi.org/10.2991/assehr.k.200323.024. Available at: https://www.atlantis-press.com/proceedings/icalc-19/125937654
Yulianto, N., Yuliastuti, N. & Sulistyo, E. T. (2017). Recycle art: changing waste to be a friendly-enviroment artwor’.1st International Conference on Art, Craft, Culture and Design. Bandung Institute of Technology.
Yuliastuti, N., Sulistyo E., T. & Yulianto, N. (2018). Plastic as A Media of Installation Artworks Based on Recycle Art. Atlantis Press. (ASSEHR), 279. Available at: https://www.atlantis-press.com/proceedings/icalc-18/55913446 doi: https://doi.org/10.2991/icalc-18.2019.10
Zulkernain, N. H., Gani, P., Chuan, N. C., & Uvarajan, T. (2021). Utilisation of plastic waste as aggregate in construction materials: A review. Construction and Building Materials, 296,123669. Available at: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S095006182101429X