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Ocean Recovery Project

In 2016, Keep Britain Tidy embarked on a ground-breaking project to recover and recycle litter collected by volunteers on our beach cleans. After completing more than 1200 beach cleans we saw a need to help volunteer groups recycle beach litter.

Recycling mixed plastics from the beach is challenging. We have worked with a wide variety partners and organisations to help us in achieving traceable sustainable solutions for recycling ocean plastics. We have helped many groups, organisations and businesses to recycle plastic and create products. Our aim is to empower beach cleaners, increase recycling rates and develop new techniques for recycling ‘hard to recycle’ plastics. Importantly, we try to keep the carbon footprint associated with transporting and processing plastics as low as possible.

In 2019, we were thrilled to partner Orca Sound project to create a giant stage from plastics collected from beaches, fish harbours and other community clean-ups. Instead of polluting our environment this plastic made up part of Shangri-La’s 360-degree audio-visual arena - The Gas Tower – at Glastonbury festival.

Benches for Schools

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We are working with schools in the South West to teach young people about the circular economy. We host local schools for educational beach cleans and donate a bench back to them, which is created from the beach plastic they collect. The plastic is recovered, shredded, melted and then extruded into a sturdy recycled bench. The manufacturing is completed in Exeter by Devon Contract Waste.  

The UK’s first fishing net recycling programme

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We are very proud to have played a key role in developing the UK’s first fishing net recycling programme. The project is the end result of our involvement with fishing harbours and fishermen. Over 40 tonnes of trawl nets & rope are collected from harbours and beaches to develop this new system that will benefit many stakeholders. This is the only scheme in the UK that turns these giant nets back into recycled pellet to make more products. Read more about it here.

Tackling Disposable Bodyboards

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In 2010 we were the first to highlight the issue of cheap disposable bodyboards that blight our beaches, pollute our seas and create huge amounts of waste. Disposable bodyboards are typically shipped across the globe for a few hours use before being dumped. Our #waveofwaste campaign received national media coverage and has led to huge awareness of the issue. Over the years we have recycled over 5000 broken boards into packaging, insulation, under-floor cushioning, dresses, cushions, bags and even bee hives. 

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