Upcycled Materials

Upcycling – or creative reuse – is the process of transforming waste products into new products and materials. You don't break the product down, but instead, use it to build something else.

The thoughtful reusing of plastic products can even include by-products from other industries, like the agricultural sector. At Kanso Designs, we use recycled plastics and agricultural by-products, such as bamboo fibre and rice husk, in the creation of beautiful plant pots. Thereby reducing waste and promoting green growth, literally and metaphorically. 

Agricultural by-products might usually be left to rot or be burnt by farmers, as is the case with wheat straw, creating air pollution and a public health hazard. But these by-products are a valuable source of resources. With wheat straw being used to create not just plant pots, but paper and compostable packing as well – saving trees in the process. Meanwhile, rice husk is being used to manufacture cement-based building materials that are stronger than some concrete.  

At Kanso Designs, we developed a mixture of recycled plastics and agricultural by-products to create our plant pots. By using natural stone and wood, we can radically change the nature of the plastic, producing a more biodegradable composite material, that can also be recycled.

With advances in technology, plastic waste can be re-melted and filtered to remove any contaminations, like cellulose, metal or wood pieces. High-quality plastic pellets are then produced for manufacturers to use for injection-moulding new plastic products, from plant pots to piping.