A creative sculpture featuring a Goby swallowing plastic waste placed at the intersection of Vo Nguyen Giap and Nguyen Van Thoai streets in Da Nang, near the My Khe Beach, has attracted a great deal of attention from both locals and visitors since it debut in May.

Other similar models of Goby fish will be placed on local beaches in the coming time

Initiated by the Management Board of the Son Tra Peninsula and Da Nang Tourism Beaches, the larger-than-life fish-shaped garbage bin aims to raise public awareness about the damage done by plastic waste to marine life.

The 5m-long and 3m-high plastic trash bin made out of bamboo, fishing nets, and other materials, in the shape of cute Goby. It was jointly created by foreign volunteers and university students across the city.

The Goby being filled with plastic waste collected along the beach really impressed viewers.

The creation of the Goby model was in active response to environmental protection movements appealing for the public to reduce the discharge of plastic waste, and promote the use of nature friendly materials in many Asian places, including Da Nang.

There are 2 ways to identify the meaning of the Goby garbage bins on the beaches. The first is the image of a fish swallowing a lot of different waste. Through the image of a Goby with a bulging stomach filled with waste and plastic bottles, people will be more aware of the seriousness and environmental impact of leaving plastic bottles on the beach. The second is the image of a friendly, kind-hearted Goby helping to protect the ocean by collecting waste instead of leaving it scattered around to be then washed out to the ocean.

Local beaches welcome an average of 3,000-5,000 tourists every day. On holidays or special occasions, this figure is doubled, even triple. Such a large number of beachgoers, of course, discharge a large amount of waste, including plastic trash, and this issue, in fact, is really difficult to handle. Given its high practicality and environmental significance, the Goby model is particularly worth noticing solution.

Mr Nguyen Duc Vu, the Head of the Management Board of the Son Tra Peninsula and Da Nang Tourism Beaches, highlighted the great significance of the model of the trash-eating fish in conveying the message of protecting the ocean and the marine environment, and promoting civilised lifestyle in the community.

In the coming time, about 10 other bamboo garbage bins in the shape of giant Goby fish will be place on other beaches across the city to raise public awareness of environmental protection.

Ms Truong Thi Hong Hanh, the Deputy Director of the municipal Department of Tourism, said, there were a number of environmental protection activities organised within the framework of the recent ‘Da Nang Beach Tourism Season 2019’ and ‘Da Nang - Summer Rendezvous 2019’ programmes.

In particular, eye-catching decoration spaces were created on beaches with the use of such daily-use products such as plastic bottles and paper cartons. The intention was to appeal for local residents and tourists to join forces to protect the marine environment by saying ‘no’ to single-use plastic products to deal with pollution and save waste treatment costs.

In a similar vein, the Management Board of the Son Tra Peninsula and Da Nang Tourism Beaches and Let’s Do It Da Nang jointly organised a field trip to the Son Tra Peninsula for more than 30 children from the city-based TITAN Education Centre. Through a variety of fitness games, this programme aimed to raise their awareness of the negative impacts of air pollution and an urgent need to protect the environment.