A 50‑foot plastic monster has emerged on the sands of Cox’s Bazar, a striking reminder of the waste choking Bangladesh’s coastline. Installed by Bidyanondo Foundation together with the district administration, the towering figure dominates the stretch between Sugandha and Seagull points, inviting visitors to confront the material that has become part of the landscape.

The sculpture is built from five tonnes of discarded plastic gathered from the sea and nearby beaches, and its grotesque form clutches an uprooted coconut tree—a visual metaphor for how litter threatens local biodiversity. Artists from the University of Dhaka’s Faculty of Fine Arts spent twenty days assembling the piece, turning trash into a public artwork that is both eye‑catching and unsettling.

Beyond the visual impact, the site hosts a pop‑up theatre where short films on responsible tourism are shown. Admission requires two empty plastic bottles, turning the act of viewing into a small recycling ritual. Tourists like Aminur Rahman and his daughter, as well as Saiful Islam, pause to photograph the monster and hear its message, turning a beach outing into an educational moment.

Organisers, including Jamal Uddin, director of the foundation, hope the installation will move beyond Instagram snapshots. By confronting beachgoers with the very waste they create, the project asks a simple yet urgent question: where do we put the plastic we use, and what cost does it exact on the sea we love?

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