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Overland, a UK crop-removal and growing-media recovery business, collects used coir, processes it and sells it for reuse. Research and commercial strawberry trials with NIAB have found yields comparable to virgin coir for appropriately processed material, though water use, substrate properties, treatment and local economics remain important questions. The approach has not been shown to work commercially across North America.
Overland, a growing-media recovery business in Kent, England, is collecting used coir grow bags, processing the material and returning it to commercial production, according to a report by Greenhouse Grower. Research and commercial strawberry trials conducted with the UK agricultural research organization NIAB found that appropriately processed recycled coir can produce yields comparable to virgin coir, although its physical properties may require changes to irrigation management.
Overland’s operation grew out of crop-removal work the company began in 2010. After expanding into soft-fruit production, the team encountered large volumes of spent coir grow bags mixed with plastic, roots and other plant residues. The company developed processes to collect and separate the material, clean and treat it, and sell recovered growing media for another crop. The report describes this as a service intended to handle the recovery work for growers, rather than asking farms to build their own recycling operations.
The research with NIAB includes laboratory analysis, biological testing and commercial strawberry trials. The report says trials found comparable yields between suitably processed recycled coir and virgin coir. Some commercial trials also reported water savings of about 8% to 10%; the source does not provide the trial periods or a fuller comparison basis for that figure. Researchers identified differences in water-holding capacity and air-filled porosity, so recycled material should not be assumed to behave exactly like new coir.
Overland uses a containerized superheated-steam treatment system supplied by Konflex as one stage in its recovery process. The system is intended to pasteurize recovered media under controlled conditions and reduce biological risks. The report stresses that pasteurization is not sterilization: treatment effectiveness depends on the target organisms, material and intended use. Collection, removal of contaminants, processing, testing and delivery all affect whether the finished material is suitable for growers.
Why Coir Recovery Could Matter
For greenhouse and soft-fruit growers, reuse could offer another way to manage spent substrate as they weigh material availability, purchasing costs and waste handling. The reported trial results make recycled coir a candidate for further commercial evaluation, not proof that it will suit every crop or operation. The 8% to 10% water-saving figure is encouraging but should be read as a reported result from some trials, not a universal outcome.
The business model also matters. Overland combines recovery services with processing and sales, addressing practical work that a grower might otherwise have to organize independently. That could make reuse more feasible where a steady supply of used coir, suitable treatment and a nearby market come together. But the report gives no detailed cost comparison, pricing or evidence that the system is profitable in other regions. A viable material process needs to perform agronomically and make sense across collection, transport and treatment.
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From Crop Removal to Reuse
Overland began mechanized crop-removal services in 2010, initially working with tomatoes, cucumbers and peppers, according to the Greenhouse Grower report. Its later work with soft-fruit producers brought the coir problem into focus: used grow bags retained material that might still have value, but had to be separated from plastic and crop residues before reuse.
The report’s authors visited the Kent operation in October and described seeing raspberry plants growing in reused substrate. They also saw berry root development in coir during a third growing season of reuse. That observation offers a view of the operation, but the report explicitly says it was not a controlled comparison. The more relevant evidence comes from the research and commercial trials with NIAB.
The report raises the possibility of applying this approach in North America but notes that the market differs from the UK. North American growers use a range of materials, including peat, coir, bark and wood fiber, while supply, transport costs, crop systems and waste rules vary by location. The source material ends before setting out a specific North American pilot or investment plan.
““We’re here to supply you a good quality, good value material, and just take care of that headache for you.””
— Henry Miles, Overland
Questions on Scale and Safety
The reported results do not establish that recycled coir will perform the same way across different crops, greenhouse systems or growing regions. The source provides no full trial design, sample sizes, statistical results or detailed timeframe for the comparable-yield finding. It also does not specify the trial conditions behind the reported water savings, so readers cannot determine how broadly that result may apply.
Biological risk remains a management issue. The steam system is described as pasteurizing media, not sterilizing it, and the report does not give treatment settings, target-organism results or a universal validation standard. Growers would need evidence that processing is appropriate for their material and intended use. The report also does not provide operating costs, recovered-media prices, transport distances or a North American commercial case. Those details are needed to judge whether recovery is agronomically and financially practical beyond Overland’s operation.
What North American Trials Need
The next step for growers or suppliers considering reuse would be to test it against the needs of specific crops and production systems. That means documenting substrate properties, assessing biological controls, tracking crop performance and checking how irrigation practices may need to change. The supplied report does not announce a North American trial, launch date or expansion plan, so no such development can be confirmed.
For the approach to travel beyond the UK, operators would also need to establish whether used media can be collected in sufficient volume and processed close enough to growers to make the economics work. Further information on trial protocols, treatment validation, costs and regional logistics would help growers judge the opportunity. For now, Overland’s system and the NIAB-linked findings offer a case for further evaluation, rather than a settled recommendation for North American production.
Key Questions
What does Overland do with used growing media?
Overland collects and processes used coir grow bags, separating the coir from plastic, roots and plant residues before treating and selling recovered media for reuse.
Did recycled coir match virgin coir in strawberry trials?
The Greenhouse Grower report says research and commercial trials with NIAB found comparable yields from appropriately processed recycled coir. It does not include full trial protocols or results, and the finding should not be taken as proof of identical performance in every setting.
How much water can recycled coir save?
Some commercial trials reported water savings of about 8% to 10%. The source does not give the trial periods or enough detail to establish how broadly that figure applies.
Does steam treatment sterilize the growing media?
No. The report describes the Konflex system as using superheated steam for pasteurization and explicitly distinguishes pasteurization from sterilization. Its effectiveness depends on the target organisms, material and intended use.
Is recycled growing media ready for North American growers?
The report does not establish that. North American materials, transport costs, cropping systems and waste requirements vary by region, and the source gives no specific North American trial or commercial plan.
Source: greenhousegrower.com
