Giant rainbow made from recycled cans appears in Newcastle

The impressive arch, measuring four metres high and seven metres wide, is made out of more than 2,500 recycled drink cans.

It was installed by not-for-profit Every Can Counts in collaboration with Newcastle City Council to bring awareness to the importance of can recycling around Earth Day (April 22).

Christine Herriot, Newcastle City Council’s director of operations and regulatory services, said: “It’s fantastic to have this eye-catching rainbow art installation in the heart of our city this weekend, which will certainly get people talking and help spread the message about the importance of recycling.

“We know residents take great pride in having a clean and tidy city, which was demonstrated by the incredible turn out for the Great British Spring Clean.

“We thank all of the volunteers, businesses and community groups who played their part in helping us to tidy up their communities and it shows what we can achieve for our environment when we work together.

“We hope everyone enjoys having their pictures taken with this brilliant piece of artwork this weekend and remembers the important message behind it.”

Chris Latham-Warde, Programme Manager for Every Can Counts, added: “Our rainbow installation has toured all over the UK and we’re so excited that it’s finally making its debut in Newcastle for Earth Day.

"This year the theme is ‘Invest in our Planet’ and that message has never been so important.

“Each and every one of us can make a difference and recycling our empty drink cans is an example of a small habit we can all adopt that has a positive impact on the environment.

"All of the cans collected in Newcastle over the weekend could be recycled and refilled on shop shelves in just 60 days – and because every can is infinitely recyclable, the benefits of keeping that valuable aluminium in circulation keep adding up again and again.

“Recycling rates were at an all-time high during the national lockdowns and, now that restrictions have been lifted, it’s essential that we keep up the momentum. We hope our colourful rainbow pop-up this weekend will inspire the people of Newcastle to do just that."

The rainbow will remain on display by Grey’s Monument until Sunday evening.