The installation was created to highlight the fact that 20,000 tonnes of portable cells end up in UK landfill sites every year.
To raise awareness of the issue, Duracell – which recycled 170 tonnes this year – launched a ‘ Big Battery Hunt ‘ and recruited 1.3million schoolkids to hand batteries in .
A small number of these were used to create the 10ft-tall sculpture, which weighs two tonnes
It is intended to be a visual celebration of the environmental efforts of the primary school children who were involved in the campaign.
And with batteries being dubbed the ‘elephant in room’ of the recycling debate, it is hoped the creation will inspire a whole new generation of battery recyclers.
The elephant will be on show at Hanwell Zoo in West London for the duration of the summer holidays.
Duracell hopes the saying ‘an elephant never forgets’ will inspire all of us not to forget Generation Z’s power to make mammoth change.
Tony Diaz, an artist and sculptor at Big Stuff Design which created it, said: “It’s taken 400 hours and in excess of 29,000 recycled batteries but every moment has been worth it.
“Creating this elephant has been a humbling reminder that powering change can come from anywhere.
“It is so inspiring to see the younger generation actively involved in making the world a better place and teaching their own parents and loved ones about the importance of recycling.”
This year the Big Battery Hunt challenged 1.3 million children from 5,800 schools around the country to pick up a Big Battery Hunt collection box and hunt for used batteries in their communities.
Beau-Jensen McCubbin, a spokesman for Hanwell Zoo said, “We are very proud to be the home of the Big Battery Hunt elephant and are very keen to continue to encourage our visitors to reduce landfill waste.
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