Rubbish ideas that could save the planet

Kim Jones discovers how clever eco-companies are turning waste byproducts into useful everyday items

Food, clothing and plastic industries create millions of tons of waste every year. Left in landfill or dumped into our oceans, this rubbish contributes to greenhouse gases and global warming, while directly affecting nature and the Earth’s ecosystem.

However, these clever companies are taking waste byproducts and turning them into a variety of things you use every day.

APPLE PEEL > DOG COLLARS

Planet-loving pet company

Project Blu (projectblu.co) makes sustainable dog collars and leads from apple leather – a material made from apple peels that are a byproduct of the juicing industry.

This repurposing also prevents the apple skins from decomposing and producing methane, which is a major contributor to climate change. Adorable dog beds made from recycled plastic and clothing are also available plus leashes and collars made from upcycled leather waste.

BREAD > BEER

There are several ingenious alcoholic beverage companies using waste food to create a tasty tipple. Toast Ale (toastale.com) uses surplus bread – the heel end of loaves discarded by the sandwich industry – to replace virgin barley in the brewing process and donates 100 per cent of profits to charities tackling food waste.

Dubbed a beer for wine lovers, Binary Botanical (binarybotanical.com) has a tangy Prosecco-like taste. It’s brewed using hop leaves that are discarded by other beer companies, which only use the flowers of the plant. Hyke Gin, meanwhile (foxholespirits.com) uses loose, leftover grapes from bunches that are cut and separated to fit into supermarket punnets.

They can no longer be sold as fresh so are distilled into this delicious gin.

WINE > TRAINERS

High-end unisex sneaker label Mercer Amsterdam (merceramsterdam.com) creates cool vegan trainers crafted from wine leather. This is made using byproducts from Italian wine production along with pineapple leather from the leaves of harvested pineapple plants.

WOOD > SPONGE

Most kitchen sponges and scourers contain plastic, meaning every time you wash up, microplastics are released into the world’s oceans.

Eco-vibe’s (ecovibe.co.uk) range of cleaning products are plastic-free, biodegradable and created from waste. The compostable sponges are made from cellulose – waste from wood from the timber industry – and the non-scratch coconut scrub pads are made out of coconut husk, a byproduct of the food and drink trade.

OLIVE STONES > BEAUTY PRODUCTS

Using olive and apricot stones, date seeds, brewed chai tea spices and coffee grounds, Upcircle Beauty (upcirclebeauty.com) salvages natural ingredients discarded from the food and drink industry and transforms them into organic beauty products including masks, scrubs and serums.

RICE > COFFEE CUPS

One company has found a solution to the millions of disposable coffee cups used each day in the UK, many of which end up in landfill or oceans. Huski Home’s Travel Cups (huskihome. co.uk) are made from recycled rice husks, a byproduct of processed rice which, if not ethically disposed of, can be a biohazard.

FISHING NETS > GLASSES

The frames of these stylish and planet-positive sunglasses and spectacles, available with or without prescription lenses, are made from abandoned fishing nets left at sea. Coral Eyewear (coraleyewear.com) glasses can also be recycled, so when you want a new look, simply send your frames back to Coral for recycling and you’ll get 10 per cent off your next set.

FIRE BRIGADE HOSE > BAG

The heroes at Elvis & Kresse (elvisandkresse. com) rescue all of London Fire Brigade’s damaged, decommissioned hoses from landfill and turn the material into luxury bags lined with reclaimed parachute silk.

Alternatively, Kind Bags (kindbag. co) are reusable shoppers made from 100 per cent recycled plastic bottles. They come in a range of snazzy prints and have super-wide handles that are comfy to hold.

COFFEE GROUNDS > LEGGINGS

From coffee to clothing, active sportswear company Sundried’s (sundried.com) Eco Tech range features jackets, leggings and T-shirts made from recycled coffee grounds. The coffee-based fabric is fast-drying, deodorising and antibacterial.