Our Epic Circular Marine Litter Solutions
The problem we're solving.
Globally only 9% of plastic waste is recycled; 12% is incinerated, whilst the remaining 79% is either sent to landfill, stockpiled in developing countries or dumped on land or in the marine environment. The UN expects the amount of plastic in oceans to treble in the next 20 years. All this is not due to the lack of recyclability but a lack of recycling infrastructure and consumer demand. For this reason, Odyssey Innovation has been pioneering new solutions to prevent further ocean plastic pollution by offering support to the fishing community, beach clean groups, governmental bodies and eco-warriors alike through various free sustainable incentives.
The Net Regeneration Scheme
Our multi-award winning Net Regeneration Scheme is the only net recycling service in the UK which has seen more than 200,000 kilograms of end-of-life nets recovered and recycled back into the circular economy.
To date we recycle fishing industry plastics from most harbours between Dover and Birkenhead and have recently expanded our operation into Scotland.
We work with all stakeholders in the fishing industry including net makers, port officials, fishermen, fisheries, marine conservation groups and government departments.
Our service is free, eco-friendly, traceable, officially endorsed by the Global Ghost Gear Initiative and also offers a perfect solution for companies looking to purchase credits as part of their corporate social responsibility.
The Marine Regeneration Scheme
Our Marine Regeneration Scheme offers free recycling support to marine conservation charities, beach clean groups, marinas, councils, divers, watersports hire outlets amongst others.
This initiative, like its sister, the Net Regeneration Scheme, is fully traceable and all plastic is processed back into a wide variety of circular economy products.
Innovation
A Scientific Approach:
We work with Universities, Government bodies and World-leading authorities in the Fishing and Maritime sectors to build upon our foundational work in order to keep developing supporting evidence for the circular economy and marine waste. Examples of this are The Indigo Project and The Global Ghost Gear Initiative.
Sustainable Product Design:
Over the years we've developed several great relationships with a multitude of manufacturers and businesses interested in supporting or exploring the sustainable plastics industry.
We've assisted both in the design stage of their eco-friendly products, often supplying them with our very own traceable marine plastic shred/granulate with which to create their own circular products and have even helped with streamlining their operation to reflect greener/bluer choices.
Simultaneously, we've also spent a long time creating and tweaking our very own successful range of closed-loop marine recycled plastic products.
FAQs.
What types of plastic do you accept in your recycling schemes?
We are solely focused on processing marine plastic debris and fishing gear. HDPE, PP and PET are amongst the most common forms. For a detailed list of what items/gear we accept please visit the infographic diagram either on the Marine Regeneration page or the Net Regeneration page.
I usually pay a fee to incinerate or send my waste to landfill - is this the same with your scheme?
9/10 times our recycling schemes are free especially to fishermen, charities, marinas, businesses and councils located in the South West (UK). For those situated beyond our collection routes, we simply ask for your assistance to deliver the waste load to Exeter City Council or to your closest MRS or NRS depot points.
Payment is required when the load received is not prepared as requested or contains items of a mixed or soiled nature which we are unable to process. The charge varies according to administrative and manual labour fees required for processing and/or destroying of the load in question.
How could I support the growth of your recycling schemes across the UK?
To date we have been fortunate to receive state aid, private cash investments from large and medium-sized corporations, in-kind support from smaller enterprises and loads of word-of-mouth support by those charities and NGOs smaller groups we work with; everything has helped!
The scheme is always seeking to expand and there are several opportunities available for all sorts of budgets and in-kind arrangements so please do not hesitate to contact us for further information!
☑️UN Sustainable Development Goals We Achieve
The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), also known as the Global Goals, were adopted by the United Nations in 2015 as a universal call to action to end poverty, protect the planet, and ensure that by 2030 all people enjoy peace and prosperity.
The 17 SDGs are integrated—they recognize that action in one area will affect outcomes in others, and that development must balance social, economic and environmental sustainability.