A new enormous pyramid has been built in Egypt's Western Desert that, rather than enshrining the grandeur of a pharaoh, brings attention to the issue of plastic waste.

Constructed at the start of what the builders believe would be a century of plastic cleaning, it also serves as a landmark ahead of the annual gathering of the Paris Climate Accord signatories (COP27) in Egypt.

The massive tower, located just outside Cairo, took five days to create, weighs a remarkable 20 tons, is taller than a three-story building, and is fashioned from the equivalent of one million plastic water bottles collected from the Nile River.

The 100YR CLEANUP campaign, led by zero-waste startup Zero Co and wine retailer The Hidden Sea, promises to support large-scale clean-ups for the next 100 years and force accountability for the single-use plastic problem.

Over the next 12 months, Zero Co and The Hidden Sea hope to gather $1,000,000 for the 100YR CLEANUP, which will eliminate 15 million water bottles worth of trash and propel the initiative's purpose.

Individuals and corporations can help future cleanups around the world by sponsoring the campaign and purchasing a bundle of trash. 

With enough money, the team intends to establish full-time teams in Southeast Asia and Australia to clean the world five days a week, every week, for the next 100 years.

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