Revolutionary Scheme Sees Fishing Nets Recycled In UK For First Time

Environmental charity Keep Britain Tidy has teamed up with plastic processing experts Milspeed on a ground-breaking project to develop the large-scale recycling of fishing nets in the UK.

Each year, it’s estimated that 640,000 tonnes** of fishing nets end up as plastic waste in our oceans.

In addition to being hazardous for boats, these nets can continue to ‘ghost fish’ for up to 600 years, with countless fish, dolphins and seals killed after getting trapped in them.

It is hoped that installing a free UK recycling service at harboursides will encourage the recycling of both nets and ropes.

Since March 2020, Keep Britain Tidy and Milspeed have been working together to develop the project and, to date, more than 40 tonnes of trawl net has been turned into recycled plastic pellets that can be resold to the market.

This is the only fully UK-based trawl net recycling scheme and, until its launch, the only options were sending the nets to landfill or exporting them to Europe for recycling.

There are huge environmental and economic benefits to having a UK recycling scheme and it is hoped that, over time, it can be rolled out to more harbours around the country. 

Keep Britain Tidy’s Ocean Recovery Project enables communities and volunteers to play their part in reducing the amount of marine plastic polluting our environment.

Brixham Harbour, managed by Torbay Harbour Authority, is home to one of the UK’s largest fishing fleets. The harbour has contributed most nets to the Ocean Recovery Project to date at around 30 tonnes. The nets then only had to travel 154 miles from the harbour to be recycled.

Working with partners, the scheme is now being rolled out to Scarborough and Whitby in the North-East and has removed tonnes of material from Dunbar in Scotland this year.

Neil Hembrow, of Keep Britain Tidy’s Ocean Recovery Project, said: “It’s fantastic that so many partners have supported the development of new recycling techniques here in the UK.

“We want to support multiple organisations, fishermen, harbour authorities and beach cleaners by giving them an opportunity to recycle fishing nets and rope in the UK. This is an important step to reducing nets in our oceans by working with industry and lowering the carbon miles of transported recycled materials.”

James Milhench, Business Development manager at Milspeed said: “We are thrilled to be involved in this revolutionary net reprocessing scheme where we are able to utilise our 20+ years of reprocessing expertise creating high-performing pellets from 'tricky to re-use' polymers.

“We have been incorporating ocean waste into our footwear products for four years now but we look forward to using this scheme to upscale and encourage the use of ocean waste in a variety of industries. I believe it is localised synergies like this which will prove vital in creating a more sustainable future.''

The scheme has been made possible thanks to funding from Scottish Power Foundation and the Squire Charitable Trust to set up systems at zero cost to local authorities, fishing companies or other organisations working with the fishing industry.

Ocean Recovery Projects partner, the Journey Blue Net Collect scheme has two containers situated at Scarborough and Whitby harbour where fishermen can drop off waste nets and rope.

Alistair Lawson, founder of the non-profit initiative, says: "We’re thrilled to be working with Keep Britain Tidy who offered support and a route to send nets & ropes to be processed here in the UK. We expect to collect many tonnes of material throughout this year and next and continue to offer our free service to the fishermen to dispose of their gear responsibly. Not only do we hope to support the fishing industry with a fully traceable solution but also the beach cleaners in the local area."

Ocean Plastic Pots are using nets recycled from the Scottish harbour of Dunbar and beach cleans in Scotland to develop sustainable products.

They won ‘Sustainable Garden Product of the Year award’ at the RHS flower show in 2021.

Ally Mitchell, founder, sys: "We are delighted to work with Keep Britain Tidy to send nets and ropes to be processed here in the UK. We love that we are involved in the whole system from collecting at the harbour to receiving pellet back for manufacture into our products, allowing us to continue to manufacture in Scotland and to grow awareness of plastic pollution."

**Figures from https://www.iflscience.com/a-massive-640000-tonnes-of-ghost-fishing-gear-enter-our-seas-each-year-report-finds--46525