Sometimes an invention seems somewhat overkill, or just not really needed. Plastic sheaths on cucumbers seem ridiculous, as do plastic six pack rings on cans of beer. The six-pack rings in most common use today are the descendants of an original design by ITW Hi-Cone, which first introduced them in St. Louis, Missouri in summer 1960. Within 10 years, plastic rings had completely replaced the paper and metal based holders then common in the market. Today there are alternatives, like a cardboard box, and the option of seaweed plastics to replace fossil fuel plastics. It is shocking to think that six pack rings are still being manufactured despite the hundreds of horrific examples of wildlife getting caught up in them. 

You will have already spotted this stylised fish character as the rise up residency logo, and here it’s joined by some other friends in the stamp station: look out for the octopus, seahorse, lobster and dolphin. This mural highlights the sad story of six fish swimming as a school trapped inside the classic six pack of plastic rings. If you’re still buying your drinks in this fashion, please remember to cut all the loops and rings. That way, if it doesn’t get disposed of correctly, it does less harm to another living creature. As they say: drink responsibly. 

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