Closing the Loop, Meet Patter Products, and Our Circular Economy
If you’ve ever bought one of our recycled plastic coasters, keyrings, or pots, you already know how beautiful and durable they are. But today, we want to introduce you to the creative genius behind the machinery: Gavin, the owner of Patter Products.
We’ve been working closely with Gavin for over a year now. Based on the Isle of Wight, Gavin is a passionate, independent maker working tirelessly to give plastic that would otherwise head straight to landfill a vibrant second life.
This partnership is the ultimate example of a circular economy, an eco-friendly system where we stop treating waste as something to throw away, and instead keep resources in use by recycling and making them into brand-new products.
The Process
Have you ever wondered exactly how your favourite eco-products are made?
Our joint process turns local waste into a beautiful treasure in three simple steps:
Step 1: We Collect and Sort the Plastic: FSF Team & Volunteers.
Our volunteers have collected rigid plastics through our community hubs. We focus heavily on clean, high-density plastics like milk bottle tops, sweet tubs, and shampoo bottles, which yield the brightest colours and most durable results.
Step 2: Gavin Works His Island Magic: Patter Products Studio.
Over on the Isle of Wight, Gavin takes this sorted plastic, washes it thoroughly, and runs it through a shredder to create small plastic flakes. Using specialised melting and injection-moulding equipment, they carefully heat and press the flakes into our custom designs.
Step 3: A Beautiful Product is Born: The Final Creation.
The plastic cools and emerges as gorgeous, marbled trinket pots, heavy-duty coasters, marine-life keyrings and our newest creation: sunglasses!
Truly One-of-a-Kind
One of our absolute favourite things about this process is that every single item develops its own unique, fluid pattern.
Because of the natural way different coloured plastics melt and swirl together in the mould, no two items are ever identical. When you purchase a Patter Product, you aren’t just buying something sustainable; you are owning a unique, one-of-a-kind piece of recycled functional art.
Every gorgeous marble effect you see in our shop was created using plastic waste collected directly from our South Coast and Isle of Wight communities.
Our Education Trailer!
Want to see this entire circular economy process happen right in front of your eyes? Thanks to the incredible support of the Fat Face Foundation, we have our very own mobile education trailer! Fully loaded with the exact recycling machinery Gavin uses, this trailer brings the magic of recycling directly to the community.
For the past two years, we have proudly showcased this trailer at Victorious Festival, where thousands of people watched ocean-bound plastic get shredded, melted, and pressed into brand-new keepsakes in real-time.
Want us to bring the trailer to you? Whether you are organising a community festival, a school visit, or a corporate sustainability day, our mobile recycling station is a guaranteed crowd-pleaser that brings environmental science to life. Contact us today to inquire about booking the trailer for your next event!
Support Local. Support Science.
This is a collaboration where everyone wins. You help keep local plastics out of landfill, support a hard-working independent business on the Isle of Wight, and fund marine conservation.
Grab a piece of the Island-made magic and help us empty landfill space, one bottle top at a time!
