Somerset youngsters inspired the artwork in Bridgwater

Somerset schools inspire new mural to glam up recycling container in Bridgwater

Paul JonesMay 27, 20250 Comment0

IDEAS from young people across Somerset inspired an artist to give a storage container used for reusable items a makeover.

Waste contractor for the county, SUEZ recycling and recovery UK, launched a competition for schools across Somerset to submit heir ideas for an art piece at the firm’s Bridgwater depot.

Children were encouraged to use their creativity to produce pieces of artwork representing what reuse and recycling meant to them.

Pieces by the winning pupils were then used by county artist Sam Gaden, who runs Aerosol Art with his partner Anna, who used them to inspire his final design for the container.

The winning schools were Northgate Primary School and Westover Green School in Bridgwater, and Knights Templar Community Church School, in Watchet.

The mural aimed to capture the energy and message of the young artists’ submissions, transforming the old container into a bold visual statement promoting the circular economy, artist Sam said.

The finished artwork on the container, in Bridgwater

“I really enjoyed being part of this project with SUEZ and local schools,” he added. “It was awesome that the artwork was inspired by the local kids interpretation of what reuse and recycling means to them.”

The container itself stores bikes which are picked up as part of the SUEZ and Somerset Council bulky waste collection service, before they are donated to the On Your Bike charity.

Matthew Canning, contract director at SUEZ, said: “This project is a great example of how creativity, community, and sustainability can come together.

“It completely incorporates the SUEZ approach of working with local communities to encourage more recycling and reuse.

“From hiring a local business to do the artwork, to the involvement of the children from local schools, our engagement with our communities are very important to us.”

There are already plans to expand the initiative by using the container to store other reusable items collected through the bulky collection service.