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Overland, a company in Kent, UK, has built a commercial service to recover used coir growing media, process it and return it to production. Research with NIAB has found comparable strawberry yields with appropriately processed recycled coir, while some commercial trials reported water savings of about 8% to 10%. Whether the approach can work economically and reliably in North America remains uncertain.
Overland, a growing-media recovery business in Kent, UK, has developed a commercial service that collects used coir, separates it from bags and plant residues, processes it and sells it for reuse. Research with NIAB has found that appropriately processed recycled coir can produce strawberry yields comparable to virgin coir, giving growers a practical example of reuse as the industry faces more complex questions about substrate supply.
Overland began in 2010 as a mechanized crop-removal service for greenhouse growers producing tomatoes, cucumbers and peppers. Its work later expanded to soft fruit. The team encountered large volumes of used coir grow bags after crops ended, and began developing ways to recover the growing medium from plastic, roots and other plant residues. The operation now links collection, separation, processing and sales rather than relying on growers to manage each step themselves.
The company uses a containerized superheated-steam system supplied by Konflex to pasteurize recovered media under controlled conditions. The stated aim is to reduce biological risks at commercial scale. The report stresses that pasteurization is not sterilization and that results depend on factors such as the target organisms, material properties and intended use. Steam treatment is one part of a larger process; it does not by itself establish product quality or commercial viability.
Overland has worked with NIAB on laboratory analysis, biological testing and commercial strawberry trials. The source report says findings showed comparable yields to virgin coir when recovered material was appropriately processed. Some commercial trials also reported water savings of approximately 8% to 10%; the report does not specify the trials’ duration or comparison details. It also describes differences in water-holding capacity and air-filled porosity, which can affect irrigation decisions.
What Reused Coir Could Change
Growing media is a recurring input for greenhouse and nursery businesses, and disposal of spent substrate can be part of the work and cost at the end of a crop. A recovery service could offer growers another way to manage that material while reducing reliance on newly sourced coir. The report does not provide a cost comparison, so it does not establish that reuse is cheaper than buying virgin substrate or disposing of used media.
The reported trial results matter because yield is a direct test of whether reuse can fit commercial crop production. Yet comparable yields do not mean the material behaves identically. Differences in water retention and air-filled porosity may require growers to adjust irrigation and management. Adoption would depend on reliable processing, consistent quality, and performance across crops and production conditions—not just the treatment equipment.
For North American growers, the story is an example to investigate, not a ready-made prescription. The potential value depends on local substrate supply, transport distances, crop systems, waste rules and the costs of collection and processing. Those factors may differ substantially from conditions in Kent.
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From Crop Removal to Media Recovery
Overland’s work developed from a grower service rather than from a plan to manufacture new growing media. When the company encountered used coir bags in soft-fruit production, it faced a practical problem: the coir had potential value, but was mixed with plastic, roots and crop residues. Its response was to develop a connected recovery and processing operation.
The report describes a visit to the Kent site in October, where the authors saw the Konflex steam system and berry plants growing in reused substrate. The report says root development was visible in coir used for a third growing season. That observation was not a controlled comparison, and should not be treated as trial evidence on its own. The more formal evidence described comes from NIAB-linked research and commercial growing trials.
Reusing coir is part of a broader discussion about growing-media ingredients as demand rises and raw-material availability becomes more complex. The source report focuses on recovery of coir already used in production; it does not establish that other substrates can be processed in the same way or achieve similar results.
“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 Cost and Local Fit
The report does not state the cost per unit of recovered coir, compare it with virgin coir, or provide the economics of collection, processing and delivery. It also does not give enough trial detail to evaluate the reported yield comparison or the 8% to 10% water savings across seasons, varieties or sites. The water-savings figure is a reported result from some commercial trials, not a universal outcome.
The source material also leaves open how well the process addresses particular pests and pathogens under different operating conditions. Steam pasteurization is intended to reduce biological risks, but the report does not provide organism-specific treatment results. It does not establish whether the system is suitable for substrates beyond the coir discussed or for all crops that use coir.
North American adoption is unresolved. The report notes differences in available materials, transport costs, production systems and waste-management requirements, but does not identify a region, operator or trial showing that Overland’s model has been adopted there. Its fit would need to be assessed locally.
Evidence Needed for Wider Use
The next step for growers considering reuse is to assess performance under their own crop and irrigation conditions, using appropriately processed material and reliable testing. Longer-running, clearly documented trials could help clarify how yields, water use and substrate properties compare with virgin coir across production cycles.
Any North American version would also need a workable local chain for collecting spent media, separating contaminants, processing it, checking quality and delivering it to growers. The source report does not announce a North American project or a timetable for one. For now, Overland’s operation and the research described offer a case study; local economics, biological validation and crop results remain the tests for wider use.
Key Questions
What does Overland do with used growing media?
Overland collects used coir, separates it from bags, roots and plant residues, processes it and sells recovered material for reuse.
Did recycled coir produce the same strawberry yields as new coir?
The source report says NIAB-linked research found that appropriately processed recycled coir could produce comparable yields to virgin coir. It does not provide detailed trial data or establish that results apply to every crop or growing operation.
How much water did the trials save?
Some commercial trials reported water savings of about 8% to 10%. The report does not specify the trial duration or comparison basis, and the finding should not be assumed to apply in all settings.
Does steam treatment sterilize the growing media?
No. The report describes the Konflex system as using superheated steam for pasteurization, not sterilization. Treatment performance depends on the organisms targeted, the material and the intended use.
Is Overland’s system operating in North America?
The source report does not say that the system has been adopted in North America. It says local supply, transport, crop and waste-management conditions could affect whether the approach is practical there.
Source: greenhousegrower.com
