Flowerpots, coasters, trinket dishes and pens made from recycled plastic will go on sale at Acorn this month, marking an exciting new chapter for the charity’s new plastic recycling workshop.
From 10th August, customers will be able to purchase a range of products created from plastic waste that would otherwise have ended up in landfill or as litter. Every item has been processed and manufactured at Acorn, providing valuable work and training opportunities for Islanders who have a disability or long-term health condition.
The workshop was launched to find new ways of reusing waste materials while creating sustainable income and meaningful employment opportunities. Since collections began, the team has already saved more than 7,000 DVD cases and 2,000 plastic chocolate tubs from the waste stream and transformed them into useful, saleable products.
Acorn Training & Development Co-ordinator Martin Jeanne has been instrumental in getting the project off the ground. “In 2024 we started working with Acacia Ltd on a Future-Fit model to see where we could make improvements and be more sustainable,” he said. “We identified the need to reuse more plastics, repurposing it into a new form, which has a use and can be sold, to generate further income.
“Thanks to grant funding from the Butterfield Charitable Trust – Channel Islands, and support from the Lions Swimarathon, TMF Island Walk, and the Parish of St Ouen, we have invested in new machinery to shred and heat up the plastic, as well as several new moulds. The workshop will provide a variety of opportunities for clients including helping sort plastic into different colours, washing the plastic, melting it into various shapes as well as operating machinery and helping quality check and package up the new products.”
The Coop, which sells more than 15,000 chocolate tubs during the final three months of the year, has long supported the initiative by providing collection points for used tubs at its Grand Marché stores in St Helier and St Peter towards the end of last year.
The Coop Community Fund has also played a key role in the project’s development, funding a 3D printer and filament maker to help transform recycled plastic into new products.
The social enterprise is continuing to collect plastic chocolate tubs, including Quality Street, Roses, Celebrations and Heroes containers.
Acorn is also able to recycle certain polypropylene plastics, including 1-litre Jersey Dairy yoghurt pots. These items can be dropped off at Acorn at the donations building.
With demand growing and new products being developed, Acorn believes the project has significant potential for expansion.
Fiona Scott, Acorn Training & Development Client Services Manager added: “There is huge potential for growth. The project combines environmental sustainability with social impact, which is a powerful combination. We’re creating products people want to buy, reducing waste and providing work and training opportunities at the same time. We see this as just the beginning of something unique and exciting.”
Pictured: Val, one of Acorn’s longest-standing team members, pictured with Louise Hotton, Training & Development Coordinator in Acorn’s Plastics Workshop, ahead of Val’s fundraising skydive in support of the workshop where she works.
