Birmingham City Council has claimed its eighth successive gold at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2019 in London, with a Veolia-supported display.
The council produced a work of art to highlight environmental challenges while paying tribute to Birmingham’s famous canal network.
The exhibit includes a three-metre head, made-up of more than 3000 tubes symbolising single-use straws.
The structure has been used “to raise awareness of the use of plastics and how they are harming the environment”, Veolia said in a 23 May statement.
The head drinks water from a disposable cup, using a plastic straw to highlight concerns over micro-plastics in our food chain, the statement added.
A foot hovering over the display reminds visitors of the carbon footprint humans are leaving on the planet, Veolia said.
The exhibit also shows the average contents of a household rubbish bin, including pots, tubs and trays.
The Floella’s Future display will be exhibited at the flower 21-25 May, before being displayed in Birmingham next month.