Turning unwanted nets into ocean-going kayaks

Published: 7 July 2020

Exeter is playing its part in keeping the region’s beaches and waters free of plastic and discarded fishing nets.

The City Council has entered into a new partnership with Odyssey Innovation Ltd, that will see discarded fishing nets collected in the south west turned into the world’s first ocean-going kayaks made from recycled materials.

The materials are collected from ports, harbours and authorities across the South West, as well as further on down the south coast of England, before being taken to the City Council’s Materials Reclamation Facility at Exton Road.

In Exeter they are sorted before being sent off and turned into kayaks and beach bins by Odyssey Innovation.

It’s an arrangement that further develops the Council’s part in helping to keep the South West’s beaches and waters clear of plastic. The local authority is already partnered with Keep Britain Tidy and South West Water in the Ocean Recovery Project, which sees plastics collected from beaches in the region by a team of volunteers.

Recently the project was nominated for a National Recycling Award and last year the materials collected were used to create a stage at Glastonbury. This year the materials continue to be manufactured into bins placed on South West beaches.

The latest partnership with Odyssey Innovation will see branded blue skip containers placed in ports and harbours around the region. The collected plastic will then be transported to Exeter and then on for recycling.

Odyssey has received funding from Seafish and Morrisons and will soon be turning its attentions to making other sporting goods.

Last week, the Council, accompanied by Plymouth University and an ITV film crew, collected nets and plastics from Mevagissey and Padstow. This week’s attention turns to Brixham.

This new, direct partnership with Odyssey Innovation cements Exeter’s position at the heart of the South West’s efforts to keep the region’s coastline plastic-free.