Circular

Giving back what we get out

Life at Watergate Bay is all about balance. That includes finding a way to balance having a great time among the elements with looking after the elements.

That’s why the seafood in our restaurants is caught by local fishermen, it's why you won't find a plastic straw in your Long Island Iced Tea, and it’s why all our people – from our chefs to our housekeepers – are as committed to looking after the planet as you are.

Looking for more details on how we help protect our environment?

Read our Environment Policy

Reducing ocean plastics with land&water

With the surf on our minds and our doorstep, protecting the ocean is high on our agenda.

The bath and body products in every room – as well as those our Swim Club therapists use – are by sustainable British brand, land&water. Its natural, ethical and vegan recipes come in 100% recycled bottles made from Prevented Ocean Plastics. In the first half of 2023, land&water repurposed 600kg of salvaged ocean plastic in their bottles; a figure that’s only set to grow. But in the hotel, we only replace their 250ml bottles if they get damaged through heavy repeated use – otherwise we refill them using land&water’s 5L refill packs to minimise packaging.

land&water

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Refill and reuse

We’ve happily waved goodbye to plastic milk bottles. Instead, you’ll find a perfectly proportioned 200ml glass bottle in your room, refilled using a milk pergal. In doing so, we’ve discovered a circular win-win – with less plastic waste and less milk going to waste too. You'll also find reusable carafes of filtered water in our rooms instead of bottles.

Second life: better refurbishments

Remodelling table tops and chair frames, recycled plastic cushion covers – we believe nothing should go to waste. Whenever we update our furniture and spaces, we prioritise reusing, repurposing and upcycling before buying new items.

We sandblasted old chair frames and reused table tops for the recent Living Space refresh, and used reclaimed timber, recycled tiles and a recycled plastic bottle carpet feature in our beach lofts. But when we do need to replace items, we make sure they have meaningful use elsewhere.

We regularly support local community group St Blazey C.I.C, who have found a new home for everything from beds, duvets, outdoor furniture and travel cots, to desk lamps, chairs and photo frames. We’ve also donated chairs and tables to Newquay Orchard, who use them to make their volunteers happier with comfier breaktime spaces.

Living Space refresh

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Minimising waste

All waste is separated onsite and our food waste is processed at a local anaerobic digestion facility and converted into renewable energy. Our general waste goes to the state-of-the-art Cornwall Energy Recovery Centre; the waste is used as fuel to generate sustainable energy in the form of electricity - enough for 21,000 Cornish homes. In our kitchens, food is delivered in reusable crates or recyclable cardboard. We ensure we reduce food waste, for example by using all cuts of meat across our three restaurants. The cooking oil we use is also collected for use in biodiesel.

Collect and craft

The beach waste we collect doesn’t just languish in a bag. Last year it became material for Kids’ Zone craft sessions where it was transformed into our Christmas decorations.

Beach Guardian, organisers of community beach cleans and educational workshops, decorated our sea lane Christmas tree with baubles made from ghost fishing waste. Our Kids’ Zone team then got in on the repurposing action, leading a beach waste craft session where children made their own circular decorations.

By January our Christmas trees had found a new purpose too, as part of a natural sea defence project up the coast at Constantine Bay.

The Warrior of the Surf sculpture overlooking the beach at Christmas

Partnering with Flotsam Flo

Coin purses, backpacks and wash bags made from odd parts of hot tub lids and paddling pools, wetsuits, windbreaks, bodyboards, bunting and banners. An imaginative mind crossed with sewing machine wizardry can create amazing things from materials past their heyday.

Local Cornish artist Kate at Flotsam Flo is on our gold star list. While others might give up on these non-recyclable materials, Kate rescues them to ensure they’re given a colourful new lease of life. Look out for our Flotsam Flo Biffa Bin on Sea Lane for discarding any broken beach items for Kate to work her magic and sell in her online shop – a true circular business.

Flotsam Flo

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From ghost nets to glasses with Waterhaul

Waterhaul is a brilliant Cornish brand making glasses and sunglasses out of recycled plastic from ghost fishing gear they’ve collected around our coastline. We give their recycled plastic litterpickers to guests and locals to use in our beach clean events. And any fishing gear we find goes straight back to Waterhaul to repurpose into new products.