Which is better: Kayaking along the South Platte River during the summer, or skiing along the Front Range in the winter?
And which scene makes you want to recycle your water bottle?
It’s a choice many faced at the most recent , a great big recycling bin will let you toss cans or bottles into either water or snow.
This isn’t your fifth grade classroom’s blue recycling bin. It’s an interactive pop-up art installation created and designed by local artist (remember that mural?), which PepsiCo Recycling brought to the Flea on June 25 and 26.
The installation has two slots for recycling cans or bottles — one carved out of a chilly Colorado snowbank, the other dug off the beaten path of a waterfront hike, brimming with wildflowers.
All you needed to do was toss your recyclable into your favorite outdoor activity. Bonus points if your friend snapped a picture of you doing a handstand afterwards.
“In Colorado especially, people are deeply connected to nature, and their lifestyle is strongly rooted in outdoor experiences,” said Meagan Smith, PepsiCo Recycling program director.
“We’re excited to show people how the simple act of can protect the nature experiences they enjoy.”
The pop-up offered collection counters powered by rechargeable batteries, and recycling bins created using living plants and recyclable materials.
It also marked the first time that beverage recycling was available at the Flea.
Things get even more Colorado from there — the installation supports Recycle for Nature, a partnership between PepsiCo Recycling and The Nature Conservancy that’s aimed at protecting the country’s drinking water — so anyone who tossed their can or bottle into either slot helped support projects directly serving watersheds in Denver’s backyard, including the Front Range Forest, Colorado River and South Platte River.
Local art and recycling? Sure beats to drop off a glass bottle for a 10-cent refund.
