The sculptor – best known simply as Ptolemy – has made the 15 foot high Tree of Life from empty tins donated by DIY enthusiasts, most of which once contained Ronseal products.

The unveiling is part of a national recycling and woodland conservation campaign, launched by Ronseal and the Woodland Trust, which includes planting 8,000 trees nationwide.

Ptolemy hit the headlines last year when he was commissioned by kitchen appliance company Kenwood to create a sculpture of the Queen from old electrical appliances, to mark her 60th wedding anniversary.

Ronseal marketing director James Smith said: "It is important for people to recognise that recycling is crucial to the environment, particularly as 10 billion steel cans end up in landfill sites each year in the UK.

"Our customer appeal was designed to raise awareness of the need to recycle and capture people's imagination, leading to the magnificent creation we now have in place here."

The Chapeltown company is urging customers who buy its Ronseal Eco products – made from plant extracts which make them sustainable and renewable and lower the need for chemicals made from crude oil-derived – to register them online as part of its tree planting campaign.

Ptolemy said: "I had a lot of fun putting the tree together and am pleased that it represents contributions from so many people who are committed to helping save the environment.

"The majority of the work I do involves the creation of sculptures made from recyclable material and I hope it places the importance of recycling to the front of people's minds in a fun and creative way."

The Tree of Life will eventually be melted down, so that the metal in the tins can be used again.

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