There’s a new critter on downtown Riverhead’s Main Street, and it’s hungry for your bottles and cans.
The North Fork Environmental Council and the Town of Riverhead unveiled sculptor Clayton Orehek’s latest “Litter Critter,” a receptacle for bottles and cans, outside the entrance to the River and Roots Community Garden on Tuesday morning.
(l-r) Joanne Rizzo, Lisa Gavales, Ashley Schandel, Clayton Orehek and Joann Waski worked together to bring the Big Bee to Main Street.
This is Mr. Orehek’s second litter critter in Riverhead. The first, a mesh fish, has been collecting bottles and cans at Iron Pier Beach in Jamesport since last summer.
The Big Bee, adjacent to the community garden’s monarch waystation and amidst an educational display about the importance of pollinators, is made mostly from recycled materials, said Mr. Orehek at the unveiling of the new critter on Tuesday, July 8.
“Its head is filled with crushed water bottles, held in by aluminum straps that were scraps from other projects,” he said. “I bought the eyes and some of mesh, which is also recycled scraps. The wings are made of crushed water bottles as well, and the antennas are glass doorknobs from a yard sale.”
“I hope this helps people have an understanding of the importance of the environment and keeping litter out of the waterways, as well as the streets,” he said. “I’m glad to contribute to revitalization of Riverhead.”
Riverhead Town’s Litter Committee also participated in the project.
“We take pride in our community. We want to help in our community, and we encourage people to volunteer,” said current Litter Committee Chair Joanne Rizzo, who thanked former chair Deborah Wetzel for spearheading the project. “We’re just so grateful that we’re able to do these nice creative things.”
“This is here to collect recyclables. It’s a way to teach children the importance of being part of the solution of cleaning up litter around town and on our beaches,” said Riverhead Councilwoman Joann Waski. “There’s a QR code on here that is going to serve as a way to get information about recycling and about bees and how important they are for our environment.”
“If you see litter, pick it up and put it in the receptacle,” she said.
Riverhead Parks Director Ashley Schandel said her agency, which is responsible for maintaining the litter critters, is happy to be working with community groups on projects, and volunteers have agreed to help empty the receptacles.
“I’m thrilled to be a part of a community that values recycling,” said North Fork Environmental Council Riverhead Vice President Lisa Gavales. “The NFEC decided pretty quickly after we saw the results of the Iron Pier Litter Critter to fund a second Litter Critter, to really keep the bottles out of the waterways, off of our streets and back getting recycled where they belong.”
Ms. Gavales added that “resident creative genius” Clayton Orehek’s creation fits perfectly in an area of downtown surrounded by bee trivia and a pollinator garden.
“We hope the big bee will be the buzz of the town,” she said.
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