Projects

Plastic Bottle-Cap Murals

We organized a community-wide collection initiative to repurpose discarded plastic bottle caps into large-scale public murals. Working with students, residents, and local organizations, we coordinated collection sites, sorted caps by color, and assembled them into nature-inspired designs. Through partnerships with 10 organizations, the initiative diverted more than 3,500 bottle caps—approximately 20 gallons of plastic—from the waste stream while demonstrating a visible, community-based approach to plastic reuse and waste reduction.

Completed bottle-cap mural showing flowers, a butterfly, and greenery made from thousands of colored caps
Two children arranging colorful bottle caps into flower mosaics at the Ashland Sustainability booth
A smiling child placing green bottle caps onto a mosaic board at the sustainability booth
Children sorting green, pink, and purple bottle caps into a flower mosaic with a box of blue caps
Children filling in hand-drawn flower and bee outlines with yellow and black bottle caps
A child placing yellow and black bottle caps onto a drawn bee mosaic with bins of sorted caps nearby
Bottle-cap mural in progress showing a tree, flowers, and vines made from colored caps
Students arranging orange, yellow, red, and white caps into shapes on a board
Cardboard boxes filled with bottle caps sorted by color
A drawer of plastic bottle caps and lids sorted for the mural project
Completed bottle-cap mural showing flowers, a butterfly, and greenery made from thousands of colored caps
Two children arranging colorful bottle caps into flower mosaics at the Ashland Sustainability booth
A smiling child placing green bottle caps onto a mosaic board at the sustainability booth
Children sorting green, pink, and purple bottle caps into a flower mosaic with a box of blue caps
Children filling in hand-drawn flower and bee outlines with yellow and black bottle caps
A child placing yellow and black bottle caps onto a drawn bee mosaic with bins of sorted caps nearby
Bottle-cap mural in progress showing a tree, flowers, and vines made from colored caps
Students arranging orange, yellow, red, and white caps into shapes on a board
Cardboard boxes filled with bottle caps sorted by color
A drawer of plastic bottle caps and lids sorted for the mural project

90% Support for Skip the Stuff

After participating in the bottle-cap mural activity, 90% of surveyed residents supported Skip the Stuff, an initiative encouraging restaurants to provide single-use utensils, straws, and condiments only upon request. The other 10% said probably.

90% support10% probably