Clean Sailors starts sail recycling programme in GB

Yellow Star beach bag © Daria Blackwell

OCC Member Holly Manvell has announced that sailors in the UK can now recycle their sails and have them made into useful items that will have a long afterlife.

Clean Sailors has teamed up with Sails & Canvas to create a sail recycling network in the South West, UK, the first of its kind.

Sailcloth is tough stuff - it's made from a number of natural and synthetic materials including cotton, polyester and nylon. Sails are sturdy and durable, being used for a life of adventure in storm-force winds, high UV exposure and salty conditions. While sails are often used for many years before being discarded, they are not formally recyclable and therefore end up in a landfill.

Old sails can be made into new things, which is why Clean Sailors has teamed up with Sails & Canvas to create a Sail Recycling network in the South West, UK - the first of its kind. We are excited to share that SKB Sails in Falmouth is the first of our local partners. Sailors are encouraged to drop off their old sails at SKB Sails, free of charge.

The sails will then be upcycled and given a second life, being made into a host of lifestyle products such as bags, washbags, deck chairs and doorstops.

"We are really excited to introduce our Sail Recycling Network for sails here in the South West. Despite being too old for our boats, worn-out and damaged sails can be turned into many other great quality and sturdy products. It's awesome to have bought our project to life in Falmouth with our local partner, SKB Sails, and we look forward to rolling our Sailing Recycling Network out further afield over the coming months, keeping these huge sheets of highly durable materials out of landfill" says Holly Manvell, founder of Clean Sailors.

All donated sails will be given a second life by Clean Sailors' partner, Sails & Canvas, who use the recycled sailcloth to make lifestyle products from their estuary sail loft in Topsham, Devon.

About Clean Sailors: Clean Sailors is a not-for-profit, mobilising our global sailing community in conservation of our seas with the aim of creating an ocean ambassador of every sailor.

About Sails & Canvas: Sails & Canvas are a sail loft in Topsham, Devon, making lifestyle products from recycled sailcloth.

About SKB Sails: SKB Sails is a full-service sailmaker for yachts, dinghies and motorboats of all sizes. Based in Falmouth, SKB Sails has been cutting, designing and building sails in-house in its 3000 square foot sail loft since 1980.

This article has been provided by the courtesy of Ocean Cruising Club.