My name is Ally and I founded Ocean Plastic Pots.

I worked as a saturation diver in the North Sea and as a commercial diver in Scotland for 13 years. During my career, I had the opportunity to dive around the world — from the Ivory Coast to Singapore, and throughout much of Europe. The deepest I have dived is 160 metres, and I often spent up to a month living under pressure in hyperbaric chambers.

Throughout my time as a diver, I witnessed firsthand the growing impact of plastic pollution on our oceans. It is estimated that around 8 million tonnes of plastic enter the oceans every year. I was deeply saddened by the volume of plastic I encountered both in the water and along our coastlines. The scale of the problem was undeniable, and I felt compelled to take action.

Ocean Plastic Pots was founded as a business with a clear purpose: to tackle ocean plastic pollution by transforming recovered marine plastic into useful, sustainable products. Our goal is to raise awareness, reduce waste, and contribute to a healthier marine environment through innovation and responsible design.

The Whale

Back in December 2019, a 26-tonne sperm whale washed up on Luskentyre Beach in the Outer Hebrides. It had 100kg of rope, fishing net and plastic inside it which was truly Heart breaking.

Three months later, and I found myself back in the same part of the world, workig as a diver on a very different mission.

A cargo ship – called the MV Kaami – had hit a reef just 20km from that same beach. It was carrying 1,937 tonnes of shredded plastic waste, all destined for incineration.

The Ship

Diving in this amount of waste and seeing the impact of plastic was having on our marine life inspired me.

I taught himself some basic, manufacturing techniques and started making plant pots from plastic that i picked off the beach, wich we sold at Leith Market.

I also started to work with discarded ropes and fishing net, shredding and moulding the nets by hand. All this was done in my shed in Glasgow. 

The pots themselves although durable and built to last can be recycled again, creating a circular economy from waste.

Designed in Glasgow and made in Scotland, Our business goal is Growing Awareness of Plastic Pollution

Recycling in Scotland

We set up a collection program at Dunbar Harbour , south of Edinburgh, to recycle rope and fishing net.

We also complete a 'Big' beach cleaning project every year in Scotland.

  • In 2021 We recycled all the rope and fishing net collected from Edinburgh to the Borders for World Ocean Clean Up Day.
  • In 2022 we recycled over 1000kg of Rope and Net from the Island of Ulva, off Mull.
  • In 2023 we Recycled rope and net from 6 Scottish Islands including Skye, Coll, Muck, Rum, Eigg, Coll and Canna in a pioneering first of its kind project.
  • To date we have recycled 25 tonnes of rope and fishing net from Scotland. 4 tonnes came from Scottish beaches, all made into plant pots.

The V&A Dundee

In 2023 our products were featured in an exhibition at the V&A in Dundee, Scotlands Design Mueseum, in an exhibition entitled Plastic Remaking Our World.

We were also involved in talks in the plastic lab during the exhibition. I have no formal qualifications in product design or manufacturing.

Our Awards

  • We won "Sustainable Garden Product of the Year Award" at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show in 2021.
  • We won Round 17 of Scottish Edge, a business competition for entrepreneurs backed by RBS Bank.
  • We were awarded a Points of Light Award by the UK Prime Minister for sustainability and innovation.
  • In 2024 we won best product at Scotlands Trade Show at the SECC in Glasgow.

Samsung

In 2023 we fetured in an advert for Samsung Mobile phones, which told the story of Ocean Plastic Pots and my lucky yellow wellies.

Watch the Video

Ocean Kitchen Scotland

We were constantly asked to recycle broken fish boxes from our harbour collection programme. These boxes are food grade and made of HDPE but were not suitable for moulding into pots so in 2024 we came up with idea of moulding them in the handles for kitchen knives, offering sustainability from pot to plate. Chefs began to use our knives and they have really grown to become a strong part of our brand.