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STV News
7 days ago
- Business
- STV News
Scottish start-up transforms discarded fishing gear into plant pots
A Glasgow business has created the world's first plant pot made from traceable marine plastic waste. POTR developed the 'Ocean Pot' in 2019 using discarded fishing gear recovered from UK coastlines. It comes amid concerns over marine pollution, with Scotland generating significantly more plastic waste from the fishing and aquaculture industry than England. The Ocean Pot's origami-inspired design ensures it can be shipped flat-packed, reducing transport emissions by up to 100 times compared to traditional ceramic or plastic pots. Once unfolded, a self-watering system using a cotton cord helps plants control hydration with minimal waste. Each created pot has a QR code linking it to the specific beaches and harbours where the material was found. POTR's initial Ocean Pot release in 2022 sold out quickly, but scaling production proved challenging due to fragmented supply chains. However, a new partnership with Waterhaul – specialists in recovering, recycling, and manufacturing adventure products from marine plastic in the UK – has enabled POTR to meet increasing demand. Andrew Flynn, POTR's founder, said: 'I was in Skye recently, and while it's one of the most beautiful places in the world, the amount of marine waste on the west coast is staggering. 'Waste is choking our shoreline – surely there is something that can be done to make it useful. 'We're huge admirers of Waterhaul and the work they do, and to partner with them is a major step forward. Traceability makes it real for people. 'The more transparent the journey, the more it sparks conversations and makes people realise they can be part of the solution.' Since its creation POTR has shipped to over 50 countries and secured retail partnerships with Uncommon Goods, John Lewis, and Bloom & Wild. Harry Dennis, co-founder of social enterprise Waterhaul, said: 'Ghost gear is the most damaging form of plastic in the sea. 'Working with POTR means we can take that material and turn it into something useful, something beautiful, something people want in their homes. 'They care about the process as much as the product. These pots are traceable back to the beach the net came from. 'That level of transparency matters. It shows what's possible. 'This could easily be one of the most efficient recycling-to-product models in UK consumer manufacturing.' Get all the latest news from around the country Follow STV News Scan the QR code on your mobile device for all the latest news from around the country
Glasgow Times
19-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Glasgow Times
Glasgow start-up POTR create Ocean Pot using marine waste
POTR, based in Glasgow, developed the Ocean Pot using discarded fishing gear recovered from UK coastlines. Each pot has a QR code linking it to the specific beaches and harbours where the material was found. This comes amid concerns over marine pollution. Read more: Band behind Teenage Dirtbag to perform iconic debut album in full in Glasgow Scotland generates significantly more plastic waste from the fishing and aquaculture industry than England. Andrew Flynn, POTR's founder, said: "I was in Skye recently, and while it's one of the most beautiful places in the world, the amount of marine waste on the west coast is staggering. "Waste is choking our shoreline – surely there is something that can be done to make it useful. 'We're huge admirers of Waterhaul and the work they do, and to partner with them is a major step forward. "Traceability makes it real for people. "The more transparent the journey, the more it sparks conversations and makes people realise they can be part of the solution." The Ocean Pot's origami-inspired design ensures it can be shipped flat-packed, reducing transport emissions by up to 100 times compared to traditional ceramic or plastic pots. Once unfolded, a self-watering system using a cotton cord helps plants control hydration with minimal waste. POTR's initial Ocean Pot release in 2022 sold out quickly, but scaling production proved challenging due to fragmented supply chains. Its new partnership with Waterhaul – specialists in recovering, recycling, and manufacturing adventure products from marine plastic in the UK – enables POTR to meet increasing demand. Read more: 'Wildly excited': Date revealed for award-winning musical's Glasgow premiere Harry Dennis, co-founder of social enterprise Waterhaul, said: "Ghost gear is the most damaging form of plastic in the sea. "Working with POTR means we can take that material and turn it into something useful, something beautiful, something people want in their homes. 'They care about the process as much as the product. "These pots are traceable back to the beach the net came from. "That level of transparency matters. "It shows what's possible. "This could easily be one of the most efficient recycling-to-product models in UK consumer manufacturing." Since its creation in 2019, POTR has shipped to over 50 countries and secured retail partnerships with Uncommon Goods, John Lewis, and Bloom & Wild. Its new Ocean Pot will be available for purchase from Friday, 16 May, with prices starting at £22, available exclusively on the POTR website.
The Herald Scotland
16-05-2025
- Science
- The Herald Scotland
POTR: World's first plant pot made from marine plastic waste launches
This initiative comes amid growing concerns over marine pollution in Scotland. A study by the UK's Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (Defra) found that Scotland generates significantly more plastic waste from the fishing and aquaculture industry than England – an estimated 4,897 tonnes annually compared to 1,108 tonnes. The Ocean Pot, made from recycled marine plastic, is manufactured through a UK-wide supply chain. Fishing nets are recovered,sorted and shredded by Cornwall-based marine waste specialists Waterhaul – with POTR being the first adopters of Waterhaul's recently launched Traceable Marine Plastic material. It is then pelletised in Dumfries, transformed into recycled sheets in Middlesbrough, and finally die-cut and assembled in Edinburgh. Andrew Flynn and Eilidh Cunningham of POTR (Image: The Picture Agency) Andrew Flynn, POTR's founder and a lecturer at Glasgow School of Art, was inspired to create the Ocean Pot after witnessing the extent of marine waste on Scotland's west coast. He said: 'I was in Skye recently, and while it's one of the most beautiful places in the world, the amount of marine waste on the west coast is staggering. Waste is choking our shoreline – Surely there is something that can be done to make it useful. 'We're huge admirers of Waterhaul and the work they do, and to partner with them is a major step forward. Traceability makes it real for people. The more transparent the journey, the more it sparks conversations and makes people realise they can be part of the solution.' Read more: Plant pot that can be sent as letter breaks funding target The Ocean Pot's origami-inspired design allows it to be shipped flat-packed, reducing transport emissions by up to 100 times compared to traditional ceramic or plastic pots. Once unfolded, a self-watering system using cotton cord helps plants regulate hydration with minimal waste. POTR's initial Ocean Pot release in 2022 sold out quickly, but scaling production proved challenging due to fragmented supply chains. The new partnership with Waterhaul, specialists in recovering, recycling and manufacturing adventure products from marine plastic in the UK, enables POTR to meet growing demand. Harry Dennis, co-founder of social enterprise Waterhaul, said: 'Ghost gear is the most damaging form of plastic in the sea. Working with POTR means we can take that material and turn it into something useful, something beautiful, something people want in their homes. POTR Pots are flat packed, self-watering plant pots made from recycled materials. (Image: The Picture Agency) 'They care about the process as much as the product. These pots are traceable back to the beach the net came from. That level of transparency matters. It shows what's possible 'This could easily be one of the most efficient recycling-to-product models in UK consumer manufacturing.' Customers can scan their Ocean Pot to view when and where the net was collected, the volume of waste in that batch, and who sorted it. The data is stored on Waterhaul's live tracking platform, and every pot contributes 4% of profits to ongoing clean-up efforts. Each tonne of beach waste now yields approximately 5,500 Ocean Pots. Since its founding in 2019, POTR has shipped to over 50 countries and secured retail partnerships with Uncommon Goods, John Lewis, and Bloom & Wild. The new Ocean Pot, its most advanced product to date, will be showcased at this year's Chelsea Flower Show and at V&A Dundee as part of the new Garden Futures exhibition, which opens to the public from Saturday 17th May. The Ocean Pot will be available for purchase from Friday 16 May priced from £22, exclusively via
BBC News
10-05-2025
- General
- BBC News
Fishing nets from the Isles of Scilly to be recycled
A new initiative on the Isles of Scilly will give a second life to abandoned fishing gear while helping to protect marine Duchy of Cornwall has placed large wheelie bins around the islands for unwanted fishing nets which social enterprise Waterhaul will recycle into products including sunglasses and mammals, fish and crustaceans can become entangled in 'ghost gear' abandoned at sea which is made up from nets, lines and Duchy said the first collection of gear was expected to be shipped from the islands later in the month. St Mary's harbour master Dale Clark, said: "Abandoned fishing gear is a major threat to wildlife in and around the Isles of Scilly – it's often referred to as 'ghost gear' because even though it has been abandoned, it continues to trap and endanger marine animals including seals, fish and seabirds."Waterhaul, based in Cornwall, said it had already collected and recycled more than 4,252 stone (27,000kg) of fishing gear from the fisherman Shamus Pender Frazer said: "We believe we have a responsibility as fisherman to look after and maintain the marine environment and to minimise, to the best of our ability, any negative impact we may inadvertently have on the ocean."
