The Kingston Harbour Cleanup Project (KHCP) has unveiled a striking large-scale mural created from more than 20,000 reclaimed plastic bottle caps, transforming waste into art while raising awareness about plastic pollution.
The mural, installed at the KHCP Offloading Site in Kingston, where marine debris is sorted and processed, was crafted under the artistic direction of muralists Jordan Harrison and Pamella Chen. More than 40 volunteers, including GraceKennedy (GK) team members and scholarship recipients, worked together to sort, prepare, and affix the caps to a concrete wall, completing the vibrant installation in less than three weeks.
The caps were collected over several months from Kingston Harbour, its surrounding beaches, and through donations from project partners. Many of the caps were recovered via KHCP’s Interceptor Barriers, which trap floating debris at the mouths of gullies before it can enter the Harbour.
Launched in 2022, the Kingston Harbour Cleanup Project is a joint initiative between international NGO, The Ocean Cleanup; the GraceKennedy Foundation; and Clean Harbours Jamaica Limited, dedicated to reducing pollution in Kingston Harbour. Since its inception, KHCP has removed nearly three million metric tons of waste from the Harbour, with thousands of items repurposed through sustainability initiatives like the bottle cap mural.
“The mural reflects the collaborative efforts of multiple partners and volunteers committed to environmental stewardship,” said Caroline Mahfood, CEO of GraceKennedy Foundation, “It invites Jamaicans to rethink waste, embrace sustainable practices, and help turn the tide on plastic pollution.”
Unveiled ahead of International Coastal Cleanup (ICC) Day, the mural underscores KHCP’s mission to inspire behavioural change and safeguard Jamaica’s marine environment. By repurposing plastic into public art, the project demonstrates the creative potential of recycling while also diverting several kilogrammes of waste from the marine ecosystem.
“It’s always good to transform waste into art. I enjoy seeing creativity expressed through bottle caps, scrap metal and tyre art. We don’t really have much of that here in Jamaica, but my hope is that Jamaicans will embrace this kind of creativity in the future,” said muralist Jordan Harrison.
The project was made possible through a grant from the Digicel Foundation, with additional support from key partners including Recycling Partners of Jamaica, Very Amazing Products, Polypet Company, and Packmart International.
