Flippers and goggles transformed into bench

Unwanted swimming caps, flippers and broken goggles have been transformed into a bench as part of a new mission to reduce landfill waste.

People's old swimming equipment at the Olympiad Leisure Centre in Chippenham, Wiltshire, have been shredded, washed and processed into a raw material, which is then sculpted into a new product.

The bench was made as part of a UK-wide Leisure Loop initiative, which transforms waste into new items for the industry to "create a true circular economy".

Councillor Mel Jacob, of Wiltshire Council, said: "Swimming pools generate a lot of equipment waste, and before much of it simply couldn't be recycled. This scheme has changed that."

The Olympiad, which has one bench so far, has become one of the top 10 highest recyclers in the UK for Leisure Loop, after 64.9kg (143lb 8oz) of pool accessories were recycled over the last two years.

Trowbridge Sports Centre, the Vale Community Campus in Pewsey and Five Rivers Health & Wellbeing Centre in Salisbury also take part in the scheme.

Councillor Jacob, cabinet member for communities, said: "What's particularly exciting is that these discarded items aren't just being diverted from waste – they're being transformed into useful new products for the leisure industry, helping to create a true circular economy."

Cameron Manson, founder of Leisure Loop, said Wiltshire is showing what real environmental leadership looks like.

"We're delighted to recognise Wiltshire Council as one of our top 10 recycling sites of 2025," he added.

Each participating Leisure Loop site has a 100‑litre recycling point where people can drop off used poolside items such as flip-flops, floats, kickboards, pull buoys and swim caps – items that cannot be recycled through standard kerbside collections.

Once collected, items are sorted by material type and colour, then shredded, washed and processed into a new raw material.

This is used to create recycled plastic panels which can be used in the creation of new products, such as benches.

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