Eight Parkdean Resorts holiday parks across Cornwall have joined forces with sustainable waste management business, Biffa, to support Flotsam Flo, a local start-up that transforms beach and leisure waste into unique handmade accessories.

Created by Kate Doran, from Mount Hawke near Redruth, Flotsam Flo makes items from plastics and materials that are difficult, if not impossible to recycle, such as paddling pools, wetsuits and inflatables. 

Items that would otherwise be sent to disposal are instead upcycled into one-of-a-kind objects like bags and purses and sold online.  

Parkdean Resorts, the UK’s leading holiday park operator, has worked with Biffa for a number of years, and the Flotsam Flo partnership came about after Nick Greenacre, general manager of Holywell Bay Holiday Park, found out about the business during a Biffa presentation. 

Biffa provides a number of collection bins for Flotsam Flo across the county, and gifted Kate a large office to use as a studio at its recycling depot in Redruth, so when Nick contacted Biffa to find out how he could support Kate’s fledgling business, the waste management giant offered to trial collection boxes at his park, and at nearby Crantock Beach Holiday Park as well.

Nick said: “We want to have a positive impact on our planet and the local community, so as soon as I found out about Flotsam Flo, I knew this was something we should try and support. 

“Things like wetsuits, inflatables and windbreaks are hard to recycle, so it’s great for our guests to know that items they can’t take with them are going to be given a new lease of life as something truly special.”

After the success of the initial trial, donation points are now being installed at the remainder of Parkdean Resorts’ parks in Cornwall – Lizard Point, Looe Bay, Newquay, Sea Acres, St Minver, and White Acres – with special collection bins provided by Biffa. 

Items that can be dropped into the collection bins include inflatables, airbeds, wetsuits, life jackets and canvas hot tub lids, and Biffa will transport the items to Flotsam Flo who will upcycle them into new products to be resold. 

Flotsam Flo’s founder Kate said: “I’ve lived in Cornwall all my life, so looking after nature and the environment has always been very important to me. 

“Biffa have been a huge support, and now having donation bins at Parkdean’s eight parks in Cornwall will give hundreds of thousands of holidaymakers the chance to donate their unusable items. 

“It’s exciting to think of the impact this will have and I’m looking forward to getting to work on some new creations.” 

Peter Giddings, general manager – Devon & Cornwall, Biffa, added: “We have a great relationship with Parkdean Resorts and we know they’re always looking for ways to reduce the amount of waste from their parks that goes to disposal, so it was a perfect opportunity to introduce them to Kate and Flotsam Flo. 

“We’re delighted to see Flotsam Flo go from strength to strength and we’re grateful to Nick and the wider team at Parkdean Resorts for getting involved.”

Parkdean Resorts is committed to caring for its parks, people, and planet, and with 3,500 acres of land in some of the UK’s finest beauty spots, the business is dedicated to protecting these areas of outstanding natural beauty. 

Last year, the business launched 25 environmental, social and governance commitments which it will achieve by 2025, including reducing CO2 by 25 per cent, a 75 per cent reduction in waste to landfill, and the publication of an annual report detailing how it will care for its parks, people and planet. 

Last year, a number of the business’ holiday parks participated in the Great British Beach Clean, a week-long event run by the Marine Conservation Society to aid conservation work and help keep our seas clean, with volunteers coming together to pick up litter found along the coast.