LEWES, DE -- City leaders in Lewes are discussing creative ways to encourage recycling along their shorelines. One idea currently in discussion is a metal sculpture of a fish that would "eat" recyclables.
Assistant City Manager Janet Reeves said the sculpture, if given the green light by city officials, would sit along Lewes' shoreline.
"We wanted it to be a fun and engaging project and something for our residents and visitors to enjoy and learn from," Reeves said.
Local welder Nate Landis said he got a call back in October asking him to create some designs for the aquatic art piece. He came up with a miniature version, which he presented at the city's Parks and Recreation meeting on January 27th.
"It's a sheepshead fish which is a somewhat local fish. We were trying to keep things as local as we could," Landis said. "It's made from aluminum and would be perforated so you can see through it. It would hold all the trash inside, and then the head would pivot so you can get the trash out."
Landis said the real design would be much larger, made with pipes welded together. Kassadi Williams, a member of Lewes' Public Art Committee, said it would also be accompanied by educational signs.
"These sculptures were done other places, they've been done internationally and they were done really successfully," Williams said. "They give back and give your community more education on what is or what's not appropriate recycling."
The assistant city manager said the city has had recycling issues in the past; namely, the non-recyclables going into the recycling bins, which city officials were then charged for. Currently, Reeves said there are no recycling bins along their shores.
"If it doesn't come off the beach in all likelihood it's going in the bay," Reeves said. "Our marine life is important to us. It's important."
The future of the fish is still undecided, according to Reeves. She said, if the design was approved, they would still need to figure out some logistics.
"There's still some unanswered questions," Reeves said. "How is it going to be anchored? What location on the beach will it go? Is it going in the sand, or is it going in the parking lot? How do we educate people, and what kind of signage will we have?"
Reeves said the city's Parks and Recreation Commission is expected to continue discussing the idea at their meeting on February 18th.
