KHCP unveils bottle cap mural ahead of International Coastal Cleanup Day
KINGSTON, Jamaica – The Kingston Harbour Cleanup Project (KHCP) has unveiled a mural made from more than 20,000 discarded plastic bottle caps, transforming waste into public art while raising awareness about plastic pollution.
The installation, completed just in time for International Coastal Cleanup (ICC) Day, now stands at the KHCP Offloading Site in Kingston, where collected debris is sorted and processed. Designed by muralists Jordan Harrison and Pamella Chen, the piece was brought to life by more than 40 volunteers, including GraceKennedy (GK) employees and scholarship recipients, who prepared and affixed the caps over a three-week period.
The bottle caps were gathered over several months from Kingston Harbour, nearby beaches, and through donations from KHCP partners.
A significant portion came from the project’s interceptor barriers, which trap floating debris at gullies before it enters the harbour.
Launched in 2022, KHCP is a partnership between international NGO The Ocean Cleanup, the GraceKennedy Foundation, and Clean Harbours Jamaica Limited.
To date, the initiative has removed nearly three million metric tons of waste from the harbour, with sustainability projects like the mural repurposing thousands of collected items.
“The mural reflects the collaborative efforts of multiple partners and volunteers committed to environmental stewardship,” said Caroline Mahfood, CEO of the GraceKennedy Foundation.
“It invites Jamaicans to rethink waste, embrace sustainable practices, and help turn the tide on plastic pollution.”
Artist Jordan Harrison added, “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.”
The project was funded by a grant from the Digicel Foundation, with additional support from Recycling Partners of Jamaica, Very Amazing Products, Polypet Company, and Packmart International.
GraceKennedy team members use a design sketch to add plastic bottle caps to a concrete wall as a part of a bottle cap mural at the Kingston Harbour Cleanup Project’s (KHCP) Offloading Site. The mural, created from over 20,000 caps, is a vibrant symbol of sustainability and collaboration
