Meet Caroline Chaptini, who recently managed to break the record for largest bottle cap mosaic (image) which measured at 196.94 m² in Miziara, Lebanon.
To put that into perspective, the mosaic is nearly the size of a tennis court!
Caroline started an initiative in Lebanon called ‘Collect it, Don’t throw it’ which encourages individuals to collect plastic waste and recycle it instead of throwing it away.
The mosaic was shaped like a crescent moon surrounded by stars to highlight Ramadan and Eid celebrations, as the holy month begins after the sighting of the crescent moon.
However, Caroline’s plan to complete the mosaic during the celebrations was met with a couple of hiccups.
The first was due to the restrictions of movement and public gatherings in Lebanon as a result of the pandemic, which forced her into completing the mosaic on her own with the help of some family member and friends in her backyard.
The second major challenge that faced her was the wind.
"Every time I was almost done with the mosaic, I would wake up the next day to find the caps blown away by the wind. A small storm hit my city and that made it even more difficult," Caroline explained.
"I was getting physically tired of the process and I was unable to find a way to protect the mosaic from the wind. No matter what I was not going to give up.
"Gluing the caps was an option that I was not willing to take as I was aiming to recycle the caps after the attempt but that would not be possible if they had glue on them."
Caroline's plan was to donate all the money collected from recycling the bottle caps to the kids first association which helps children fight cancer, so glueing the caps wasn't possible.
The wind eventually slowed down and Caroline was able to break the record and achieve her goals.
Words cannot describe my happiness right now. It was difficult to attempt the record in my backyard all by myself, but these struggles ended up making the record achievement more enjoyable and meaningful to me. I will admit that I was a bit disappointed by the fact that I was unable to complete the record during the celebrations of the Ramadan and Eid however, I would still love to wish everyone a happy Eid - Caroline Chaptini
Caroline is not new to record-breaking achievements; she previously broke the record for the tallest plastic bottle sculpture which measured at 28.1 meters and used more than 100,000 plastic bottles.
The sculpture was shaped as a Christmas tree and - just like the mosaic - aimed to spread environmental awareness while celebrating the Holidays season.
Caroline’s final message was to showcase the spirit of unity in Lebanon as she celebrates the different religions and diversity in Lebanon.
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