Green dreams from potty idea
Gardeners are getting greener, and one Northampton firm is trying to do its bit for both recycling and the British manufacturing industry with a new range of plant pots.
Potty Innovations is based on the Lodge Farm Industrial Estate in Northampton, where for many years its parent company has manufactured expanded-foam-based packaging and components, mainly for the automotive industry.
Not, you may think, the place to find 100 per cent recycled planters and pots.
Marketing manager Janet Adams said: "The factory in Northampton is one of the few UK manufacturers left and we knew that as customers change, companies need to listen and diversify.
"So we looked at what new products could be produced from expanded polystyrene.
"The word polystyrene seems to panic people but it is a brilliant product – it can be recycled again and again into different items.
"As well as the planters and pots we do lightweight child seats and laptop rests too.
"People can even recycle their unwanted packaging at our factory and we'll turn it into something else!"
For gardeners, the products are lightweight and simple to use, and have been trialled across the country during the last year.
The Clover pots, in cream or green, stack into ideal growing pots for tomatoes, strawberries of flowers.
Meanwhile the Cultivation Station is a system of lightweight, interlocking planters which allow gardeners to design and construct a 'raised bed' according to their available space and budget.
The pots are ideal for balconies, roof terraces or small gardens where weight and space is important.
The planters are available in two sizes, and can be used to create many different combinations.
Standard planters hold 25 litres of soil or compost.
A minimum of eight standard planters is needed to create a fully enclosed octagonal raised bed which measures 1.5m x 1.5m x 0.3m.
The pots are only available online at the moment, and delivered in recyclable cardboard boxes.
The Clover pots come in sets of three for just under 8 including delivery, while the cultivation station's pieces come in sets of two for around 12.99 including delivery.
What is EPS?
All the planters are produced in moulded foam (EPS).
EPS is extracted from oil. In its raw state EPS bead contains an expansion agent which is a pure hydrocarbon. As a finished moulded part, it is 98 per cent air.
EPS is moisture-resistant, odourless and non-toxic. The manufacture and use of EPS does not generate any risk to health or to the environment.
EPS parts can be reused, recycled and recovered. Once products are at the end of their useful life they can be ground and used as soil conditioner to improve drainage and aeration or broken up to provide drainage in other containers.
Used EPS can be reprocessed to make roof tiles, coat hangers and CD cases.
To find out more visit the online store at
www.pottyinnovations.co.uk or email sales@scaonline.co.uk
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Thursday 09 February 2012
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