June 5th marks World Environment Day, a time when international communities are encouraged to reflect on the impact of plastic waste on planet earth and all lives that dwell within it. This year's theme "Beat Plastic Pollution" calls for the substitution of plastic with eco-friendly materials in everyday activities and as we work towards that goal, Chinese artists are showing viewers in Beijing how trash can be turned into treasure.

CGTN's Ren Xueqian brings us more.

With the United Nations determined to rid the oceans and forests of toxins from plastics, this year's World Environment Day advocates that when it comes to recycling and taking care of our planet, every step is just as important as the first.

REN XUEQIAN BEIJING "To mark this occasion and to show how China is serious about its environmental commitments, Chinese artists have come together to show how easy it is to turn ordinary solid waste into a useful resource."

Stretching over 80 meters long, this piece by Ye Feng is entirely made from leftover plastic films used in construction. By combining traditional Chinese calligraphy with this new medium, Feng shows how waste can be effectively applied in the creative process.

YE FENG, DEPUTY DEAN BEIJING FILM ACADEMY SCHOOL OF DIGITAL MEDIA "This medium symbolizes the modern era. The calligraphy includes thoughts from Confucism and Taoism and I want to use this combination of old and new media to encourage people to think about how to protect our home."

Supported by UN Environment, similar waste-art exhibitions will be held in Shanghai, Hong Kong as well as in other major cities in Southeast Asia and the Pacific regions in the coming week.

China's Ministry of Ecology and Environment will also be hosting events with local governments next week to raise awareness on environmental protection.

TU RUIHE HEAD, UN ENVIRONMENT CHINA OFFICE "Beijing is the capital city of China. If we can pick up Beijing, the influence can be nation-wide. Shanghai is the biggest commercial city, there are many influential, top people there, if these people can take the lead to reduce the usage of plastic, the benefit will be larger than any other cities."

And with China already looking to increase efforts on proper waste management by tightening standards for recycling and imported materials, the UN official says this can help the country become greener and better meet its sustainable development goals. 

NICHOLAS ROSELLINI UN RESIDENT COORDINATOR & UNDP RESIDENT REPRESENTATIVE "China has already shown itself to be a champion of the 2030 agenda for sustainable development and the SDGs in total, we can see already a lot of efforts being put into the production side in terms of introduction of clean technologies, use of renewable energy and on the consumption side, there's a growing public awareness of the need to reduce consumption, to reuse what you have and to recycle."

According to Rosellini, there are nearly 9 billion tons of plastic waste in the world and only 9% of it is recycled. He said if such a rate of consumption continues, there will be 12 billion tons of plastic waste created by 2025. RXQ, CGTN, BJ.