Litter Monster Project

The project focussed on inspiring children and local people to take personal responsibility for improving the health of their local aquatic ecosystems.

“Who is the Litter Monster?”

This question inspired 80 children - from Appleby Primary School, Petteril Bank Community School and Rockcliffe CE School - to create a large scale installation at Tullie House Museum, Carlisle.

Working with artists from Woodmatters, Rag Tag Arts and Gorgeous Media, the children have immersed themselves in the multifaceted study of litter and the aquatic environment.

The children have been:

Explorers…studying wildlife and habitats of Eden’s rivers

Environmentalists… actively litter picking their local stretch of river

Scientists… analysing the types of litter they found and investigating materials, degradation times and impacts on nature

Creative Artists… using a broad range of creative techniques to create wondrous works of art from litter

Film-makers…filming and producing their own litter monster animations

Educators…discussing and developing ideas to share as the interpretation of the exhibition

Four children outdoors, participating in a neighborhood cleanup, holding litter pickers and collecting trash, dressed warmly in jackets, hats, and gloves.
A collection of crushed aluminum cans arranged with their tops and pull-tabs visible, in various colors including silver, red, green, black, blue, and yellow.
People weaving plastic bags into a makeshift fence or barrier.
Artistic face created using various recycled materials, including bottle caps, aluminum cans, toy parts, and colorful objects, arranged to form eyes, a nose, and a mouth.
A plastic recycling or disposal box is empty except for a crumpled bag of M&M's candy inside. Above the box, a sign explains the significance of a piece of litter found near the River Eden, discovered by children from Appleby Primary School 11 years
A cardboard sign inside a box that reads 'Litter Monsters could live inside any of us...'
A robot named 'Litter Monster' crafted from used objects, standing on a piece of cardboard with a swirling pattern representing a drain, annotated with a sign saying 'Down the drain... are Litter Monsters'. The scene captures a person filming the set
A person is embossing an image of an armadillo onto a piece of aluminum foil with a tool, while a child's hand rests nearby on a wooden surface.
A young girl wearing a gray knit hat, pink hoodie, and black gloves holding a clipboard with litter pick-up data, outdoors on a sunny day near a brick building and black trash bags.
A colorful underwater-themed display with the words 'Plastic Kills' on cut-out signs, featuring illustrations of seaweed, rocks, a water bottle, and a fish.
A large colorful sculpture of a monster made from recycled materials, including bottle caps, cans, and plastic bottles, displayed in an art exhibit with three visitors observing it.
A collage of various snack food packages, mainly chips and crisps, including brands like Seabrook, McCoy's, Walker's, and McDonald's, arranged in overlapping rows and columns.