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Beach Trash Sculpture Unveiled At Denver Zoo

DENVER (CBS4)- The old saying is true at the Denver Zoo-- one man's trash is another man's treasure. The zoo unveiled a big pile of trash that was turned into art.

On Tuesday, zoo officials unveiled Rufus, the triggerfish sculpture made almost entirely out of ocean debris. Rufus weighs 920 pounds, has buoys for teeth and scales made out of discarded umbrella handles.

The piece is part of "Washed Ashore, Art to Save the Sea." The traveling exhibit opens Sept. 24 and continues through Jan. 17, 2017.

The exhibit will feature 15 giant sculptures of sea life made almost entirely from trash collected from beaches.

It was developed by the nonprofit group The Washed Ashore Project to create awareness about marine debris and plastic pollution through art.

"We are thrilled to be the first inland area to host this amazing travelling exhibit. It has great meaning to help people understand their role in reducing pollution and how this saves wildlife," said Denver Zoo spokeswoman Amber Christopher.

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