Leland artist turns trash into robots

LELAND, NC (WWAY)– Once local artist is turning trash into treasure.

“So each one is different. You know, it just depends on what I find and what I can use to pick them up with,” said Pam Smith, Junkee Bot Artist.   

Look up! Because you may stumble upon what this local artist calls a “Junkee Bot”.  

“When I was walking, I was just seeing so much junk on the side of the road. Batteries, straws, car parts, and I thought ‘Maybe I could do something with this,'” said Smith.    

Pam Smith is a Folk Artist who takes trash from the sides of the roads in Leland and turns it into treasure. 

“I feel that it’s a great thing for the environment, and also the town, because I’m picking up screws and nails and other things that could hurt your car, and I’ve been able to create these fun little robots,” said Smith. 

Once the robots are crafted, Smith wraps them up and places them around town for people to find.   

“I’ll put them outside of places. I don’t hide them so hard that you can’t find them, but I’ll do anything from parks to small businesses, down certain neighborhoods on a road, you know it’s hopefully something you might find when you are out somewhere looking for something unexpectedly. At gas stations, maybe at a gas pump,” said Smith.    

Smith Says she does this project to bring others joy.   

“You know it’s just a hope that this brings a little happiness to somebody else. You know just a little funny thing staring back at them, to put on their shelf just to have something to remember from that day,” said Smith.

If you do find a Junkee Bot, be sure to scan the QR code inside the bag to capture what you found on social media to help smith keep track of where the bots ended up.