AUBURN HILLS (WWJ) -- Trash that was once floating in the Great Lakes has been repurposed into a striking mosaic that's now featured at a Metro Detroit aquarium.

SEA LIFE Michigan Aquarium in Auburn Hills has the local art on display, showcasing Michigan's natural beauty while also teaching others the steps they can take to help protect the state's habitats for creatures and generations to come.

Royal Oak-based artist and self-proclaimed 'mama Earth lover,' Hannah Tizedes, is the creator behind the mosaic installation in the newly renovated 'Conservation Cove' exhibit.

Aquarium officials said Tizedes spent more than a year collecting trash from the Great Lakes in order to create the 6-foot-long mosaic comprised of repurposed plastic.

“This mosaic is a celebration of Michigan’s Great Lakes and a reminder of the effects our everyday activities can have on them” said Tizedes. “We’ve all heard about plastic pollution in our oceans, but not nearly enough about the plastic ending up right here in our Great Lakes.”

The Great Lakes mosaic contains 917 pieces of plastic which were collected from the shorelines of Lake Erie, Lake Michigan and Lake Superior. It took Tizedes 30 hours during a ten-day period to assemble after selecting and cleaning each piece of plastic.

Aquarium officials said that some common items Tizedes found were plastic bottles, plastic bottle caps, plastic straws, plastic lighters, cigarette butts, broken plastic beach toys, plastic bags and plastic dental floss picks.

“It’s estimated that around 22 million pounds of plastic pollution ends up in the Great Lakes each year” said Lauren Grauer, lead marine biologist at SEA LIFE Michigan Aquarium. “It typically gets into the Great Lakes through wastewater systems, illegal dumping, storm drains and litterbugs.”

In addition to Hannah’s plastic mosaic, the exhibit includes a 22-foot-long mural of Port Austin’s famous natural landmark, ‘Turnip Rock,' while highlighting local shops and refill spots that sell eco-friendly products like bulk goods.

“This project is super meaningful to me and one I'm beyond excited to share with the Michigan community” said Tizedes. “I hope this art piece can be a tool for education and, most importantly, an inspiration for action because if I know one thing, it's that we can all work together to make the world a better place.”

For more information about SEA LIFE and to purchase tickets, click HERE.