An art installation made from 2,000 used drinks cans was created at a Glasgow university to encourage recycling.

The project is a collaboration between environmental charity Keep Scotland Beautiful and non-profit organisation Every Can Counts at the University of Strathclyde.

The initiative aimed to educate students about the lifecycle of aluminium cans.

The 2024 Scottish Litter Survey by Keep Scotland Beautiful revealed that 63 per cent of people frequently see drinks cans littered, indicating they are not being recycled.

Students voted for their favourite artwork from four options through an in-person vote at the university in October and an Instagram poll.

The chosen design, a "Colourful Coo," was made from around 2,000 cans and displayed at Rottenrow Gardens on the university grounds on November 20.

Heather McLaughlin, campaigns and social innovation manager at Keep Scotland Beautiful, said: "This fun and creative stunt aimed to encourage students to think more about recycling and the life cycle of a can.

“We know there is a high recycling rate at the university but our latest Scottish Litter Survey has shown just how often people spot cans as litter across the country so there is still work to be done to encourage more people to dispose of their litter correctly – ensuring precious resources are captured and brought back to use in another form."

Chris Latham-Warde, programme manager UK & Ireland for Every Can Counts, said: "We were delighted to bring our PixelCan art installation to Scotland for the first time as part of Keep Scotland Beautiful’s ongoing behaviour change campaign at the University of Strathclyde.

"The colourful Highland Cow design was created from 2,000 hand-painted recycled cans, showing students that while each individual can is small, they come together to form a much bigger picture.

"Drink cans are made from aluminium which has the potential to be recycled forever, but this only happens if we keep the material in circulation by putting our empty cans in a recycling bin.”

This campaign is part of a range of interventions at the University of Strathclyde, funded by Coca-Cola Europacific Partners, to encourage positive behaviour change.