Emily Almond, Author at DCW Polymers Ltd

Silverstone MotoGP boosts net-zero efforts with the help of DCW Polymers

Blog / By Emily Almond / 14/11/2023

Silverstone & DCW Polymers – Strength in Sustainability

Silverstone’s MotoGP – one of the biggest events in the British motorcycling calendar – enlisted the help of South West based recycled plastic furniture manufacturer DCW Polymers this year in a bid to become more sustainable.

Committed to becoming a leading sustainable business and leisure destination through its Net Zero 2030 project; Northampton-based Silverstone were keen to partner with DCW Polymers* who manufacture durable, long-lasting furniture products made from 100% recycled plastic.

As part of its net zero pledge, Silverstone are committing to a ten-year venue and facility investment strategy that puts sustainability at the centre of operations. This includes finding sustainable alternatives to event facilities whilst maintaining its high standards and quality guest experience. DCW Polymers’ event hire benches are the perfect solution.

Working Together for a Sustainable Future

Working closely with DCW Polymers, Silverstone selected a range of furniture items to subtly create sociable sections within the Lego Family Zone in Hall One, maximising the space available. Silverstone hired 21 Plymouth picnic benches for the food zone, 6 Exeter Dining Sets for the bar area, and 15 Salcombe modular sofa units to create a comfortable environment for event-goers to relax in the coffee lounge. This zone offered a public food hall for all ticket holders to enjoy hot food, a bar, coffee lounge and Lego activities upstairs.

A further nine Plymouth benches were set up outside Hall One, giving attendees a great view of the pitlane exit so that they could watch their favourite riders re-join the circuit.

Creating a closed-loop system for plastic waste

By handmaking its furniture out of plastic waste collected from UK businesses, DCW Polymers has a completely closed-loop system for plastic waste in the UK. The Plymouth bench alone contains over 115kg of plastic. That’s the equivalent of over 1,000 plastic sweet tubs!

A smart, sustainable alternative to timber furniture, DCW Polymers’ benches are longer-lasting, more durable, and resistant to damage and vandalism. The furniture is completely weatherproof. As the items are heavy, they cannot be easily moved, maintaining the aesthetic of the event space. The benches at this year’s MotoGP looked as good on day three as they did on day one! They will go on to see many more events to come!

By choosing DCW Polymers’ sustainable furniture range, Silverstone is supporting the circular economy. The innovative manufacturing process recycles waste plastic into new items, saving valuable energy. It also reduces the need for tree felling!

A sustainable furniture solution for your next event

Many of the businesses DCW Polymers work with choose to hire furniture products for events, saving storage space. The event hire option is perfect for those who need stylish, sustainable furniture solutions temporarily.

Our experts at can work with event organisers to provide a bespoke solution for any space. We can encourage high footfall with attendees staying at an event for longer thanks to the provision of comfortable furniture.

All of DCW Polymers’ products come with a 25-year guarantee! Therefore, this is ensuring that hundreds of events can hire the same benches in their lifetime. This provides a more sustainable solution than less durable, timber alternatives that can be subject to damage, and vandalism.

If you are keen to hire our furniture for your next event, please contact the team! Call us on 01392 535353 or email [email protected]

*For MotoGP, DCW Polymers sponsored the furniture items and took no payment from Silverstone

DCW Polymers raises over £3,000 for local charities through popular Recycle & Raise scheme

News / By Emily Almond / 25/09/2023

DCW Polymers, the South West’s only specialist plastics recycling and reprocessing plant, has raised £3,101.68 for local charities by recycling plastic tubs and bottle tops donated by the general public.

The funds, which have been split equally between Dartmoor Zoological Society and Life Chance Trust, were raised through DCW Polymers’ Recycle & Raise initiative. The appeal asked the general public to donate plastic tubs and bottle tops for recycling which DCW Polymers has shredded into granules.

The granules have been used in the manufacturing of DCW’s recycled plastic furniture range which has raised £1,550.84 each for Dartmoor Zoo and Life Chance Trust.

An incredible 158 businesses, schools and organisations across the South West volunteered as collection points for the tubs, bottle tops and takeaway containers, with a total of 1,643kg of tubs and 487kg of bottle tops donated in a bid to support the charities.

Hosted by DCW Polymers annually since 2019, the Recycle & Raise appeal has raised over £13,000 for charitable causes.

Simon Almond, Managing Director of DCW, said: “This might have been our fourth year of running our Recycle & Raise campaign, but the enthusiasm from the public never fails to make us smile. It’s fantastic that so many are willing to do what they can to help year after year. What better way to recycle plastics than by donating them to DCW and raising vital funds for local charities.

“These are two charities that do incredible work in the local community. Dartmoor Zoo are specialists in education and conservation of animals, while also supporting local people. The team at Life Chance Trust in Newton Abbot are working hard to help young people who have experienced trauma with mentoring and life skills training.

“I’d like to thank everyone who has donated to the scheme and the businesses who volunteered to act as drop-off points as without you, we couldn’t have raised these funds. Recycle & Raise will be back towards the end of 2023, and we hope to raise even more funds next year.”

Thanks to the enthusiasm of the public and the success of the appeal, DCW Polymers is now collecting plastic tubs and bottle tops all year round. The plastic donated throughout the year will be weighed and totalled in February 2024 along with the donations from the annual scheme.

Clean plastic tubs and bottle tops can be taken to the Recycle & Raise drop-off point outside Princesshay’s Bee Hive Information Centre, The Hive, located in Bampfylde Lane in Exeter. In addition, clean plastic tubs and bottle tops can be taken to DCW Polymers in Exeter.

For those who cannot easily access the permanent drop-off points, the Recycle & Raise seasonal appeal for plastic tubs and bottle tops will return in October 2023 and will run until February 2024. DCW Polymers encourages businesses from across Devon, Cornwall, and Somerset to sign-up, creating plenty of accessible drop-off points across the region. If your business would like to sign up as a drop-off point to help raise funds for DCW Polymers’ chosen charities, please email [email protected]