Hugo’s mission—“to take plastic destined for landfill and repurpose it into a product that can last for life”—has taken him across the UK. “I try to use each batch to raise awareness for current waste issues in certain areas,” he explains. For his second batch, he worked with the veg box delivery company Abel & Cole to transform their disused plastic milk bottles handles into knife handles. Then he temporarily relocated to the northwest coast of Scotland to collect old fishing nets for the melting pot.

For his most recent batch, he’s at the opposite end of the country, cleaning the beaches of Margate in Kent. “Beach plastic waste in Margate is a big problem, and with the growth in tourism, it’s getting worse. So for our most recent batch we went and collected plastic waste left on the beaches in Margate and turned it into the handles for the knives, and in doing so told the story and raised awareness for the issues they face.”

Depending on the volume of waste collected, the melting process takes place either in a factory either in Lancaster or in his studio in Dalston (he’s moved on from the toastie machine in the shed), where all the handles are attached and the knives hand-finished. “I can control the color marbling to a certain extent,” says Hugo, “but the finished product is always a bit of a surprise to us, and for the customer receiving it.”

For more, head to Allday Goods.

And for more low- and no-waste finds, see:

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