Plastic Bottle Brooklyn Bridge Comes To Times Square

MIDTOWN, MANHATTAN — A large Brooklyn Bridge replica that's made out of nearly 5,000 plastic water bottles was unveiled in Times Square for World Oceans Day on Friday.

The 30-foot-wide "Plastic Bridge," which is made out of single-use plastic bottles that were pulled from New York City waters, went on display at Shubert Alley on W. 44th St. in Times Square.

New Yorkers were allowed to walk across the plastic bridge and encouraged to write a message in a bottle, and sign a plastic-free pledge to get a free reusable water bottle, organizers said.

The structure itself and kick-off activities were intentionally child-friendly. The imaginative, interactive bridge creates somewhat of a playground for children to engage with while introducing them to plastic-free solutions surrounding issues of sustainability.

“Since children are the next generation of environmental changemakers, the goal of the Plastic Bridge Project is to ultimately inspire 20,000 children around the world to step into a lifestyle that is free of single-use plastic water bottles within the next five years,” the Dopper Foundation said in a statement about the project.

National Geographic has two ongoing initiatives that were involved in planning the installation. One is the National Geographic Encounter: Ocean Odyssey, an entertainment experience to educate participants about the health and future of the world’s oceans. Ocean Odyssey is located in Times Square, across from the Plastic Bridge installation.

The other is a multi-year initiative, National Geographic’s “Planet or Plastic?” effort to raise awareness about the global plastic crisis. The program involves events, interactive online pieces, and articles to educate the public in an engaging way about plastic’s environmental consequences.

Photo courtesy of Diane Bondareff