Local beach lover and environmental enthusiast Mike Glanville has found a creative way to turn that problem into a call for action—by transforming collected beach rubbish into “trash art” using artificial intelligence.
“Some of the trash I find, like shards of broken glass, is genuinely hazardous, especially for children or anyone walking barefoot,” says Mike. “So I photograph the rubbish, upload it to AI programs like ChatGPT, and they generate artistic images inspired by the waste.”
While Mike acknowledges that digital art generated this way may not qualify as traditional art, the result is visually striking and powerfully effective at sparking conversations.
“It’s not about winning art prizes, it’s about getting people to stop and think: this was picked up from your local beach. This is what we’re doing to our environment.”
The images, along with real photos of litter collected, are shared in a growing Facebook community https://www.facebook.com/groups/beachclean. The group encourages locals and visitors alike to join beach cleanups, share their own trash art creations, and raise awareness in a fun, visual way.
“Cleaning the beach feels good. Seeing others get involved feels even better,” says Mike. “Whether you’re picking up three items or three bags—every bit helps, and by generating trash art and sharing on social media, we exploit technology to spread the word to get more people involved, for even greater impact.”
To get involved, visit the Facebook group, https://www.facebook.com/groups/beachclean and post your trash art, and help turn rubbish into a movement.