Innovative reuse projects mark National Recycling Week
Hovertravel, the UK’s only year-round passenger hovercraft service, has spotlighted a range of recycling initiatives during National Recycling Week 2025. The company is demonstrating how operational by-products, from heavy-duty rubber skirts to shingle and seaweed, can be repurposed into valuable community resources.
National Recycling Week, which ran from 22–27 September, promotes the environmental and economic benefits of keeping materials in circulation. This year’s theme encouraged businesses and communities to find inventive ways to reduce landfill and conserve resources. For Hovertravel, the campaign was an opportunity to highlight the progress it has made in turning waste streams into new opportunities.
Repurposing industrial materials
One of the company’s most notable projects involves the recycling of retired hovercraft skirts. These rubber skirts, essential for lift and manoeuvrability, are challenging to dispose of sustainably. Since 2024, Hovertravel has worked with Twyford Recycling to cut down the material into 20mm fragments, making it easier to process and reuse in new settings. The rubber has found second life in equestrian surfaces for arenas and schools, keeping it out of landfill and reintroducing it into the circular economy.
Beyond industrial recycling, Hovertravel has sought creative partners to reimagine the material. Collaborating with artist Aine Naylor of OffKuttt, the company has supported the transformation of rubber offcuts into handbags, purses, and earrings. Through workshops and community events, OffKuttt showcases how discarded material can be turned into design pieces that inspire new recycling habits.
“Recycling is not just about sorting waste – it’s about rethinking what materials can become,” said Loretta Lale, Head of Commercial at Hovertravel. “Our partnerships, such as with OffKuttt, show how innovative ideas can transform discarded items into something with purpose and value. National Recycling Week is a perfect opportunity to celebrate these collaborations and encourage others to look differently at waste.”
Supporting coastal resilience
Hovertravel has also applied its recycling focus to coastal protection. Shingle that accumulates at the company’s Southsea Hoverport, which can interfere with hovercraft operations, is redirected to strengthen sea defences. This contributes to sustainable shoreline management and provides a practical example of waste being reused for environmental protection.
The company’s recycling drive extends further into community initiatives. Isle of Wight Explorer Scouts have crafted fire beaters from retired skirt material, showing how even heavy-duty components can find new utility in youth-led projects.
Everyday reuse and souvenirs
Hovertravel has also tapped into local creative talent to turn operational waste into consumer products. Working with Isle of Wight designer Mrs M, retired skirt material has been upcycled into HoverGreen souvenirs including keyrings, coasters, and decorations, sold online and in-terminal.
Other initiatives have included offering seaweed collected at Ryde hoverport to local residents for use in horticulture and agriculture, as well as donating excess sand to the Isle of Wight Donkey Sanctuary for use in animal care facilities.
A culture of collaboration
By working with recycling firms, artists, community groups, and coastal partners, Hovertravel is demonstrating how transport operators can embed sustainability into day-to-day operations. The breadth of projects highlights a pragmatic and creative approach, rooted in collaboration with local stakeholders.
As recycling takes a larger role in UK climate and waste reduction strategies, initiatives like Hovertravel’s underline the value of sector-specific solutions. By addressing its unique waste challenges in imaginative ways, the company is helping to normalise circular economy practices in both transport and tourism.
With ongoing projects and partnerships, Hovertravel is positioning itself as an example of how regional transport providers can deliver impact beyond mobility services, transforming operational by-products into environmental and community assets.
