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Overland, a UK company, has built a commercial service to collect, process and sell recovered coir growing media, using superheated-steam treatment as one part of the process. Research with NIAB found appropriately processed recycled coir produced strawberry yields comparable to virgin coir, while some commercial trials reported water savings of about 8% to 10%. Whether the model suits North American growers remains uncertain.
Overland, a growing-media recovery business in Kent, UK, collects used coir, processes it and sells it for reuse, offering a possible response to rising pressure on substrate supplies. Research with NIAB found appropriately processed recycled coir could produce strawberry yields comparable to virgin coir, but whether the approach can work economically and agronomically across North America is not yet clear.
Overland began in 2010 as a provider of mechanized crop-removal services for greenhouse growers. When the business expanded into soft-fruit production, it encountered used coir grow bags that contained roots and plant residues and were difficult to separate from their plastic packaging. The company developed equipment and processes to recover and clean the coir, treat it, and return it to commercial use. Its current operation combines collection, separation, processing and sales.
Overland works with NIAB, a UK agricultural research organization, on laboratory analysis, biological testing and commercial strawberry trials. The report says the research found that appropriately processed recycled coir can deliver yields comparable to virgin coir. Some commercial trials also reported water savings of about 8% to 10%; that result is specific to those trials and is not presented as a guaranteed saving for every crop or growing setup.
The material does not behave exactly like new coir. Research identified differences in water-holding capacity and air-filled porosity, which can affect irrigation decisions. Overland’s process also includes a containerized superheated-steam system supplied by Konflex. The treatment is intended to pasteurize the recovered substrate and reduce biological risks; pasteurization is not sterilization, and performance must be validated for relevant organisms and uses.
Reuse Could Ease Substrate Pressure
For growers facing more complicated raw-material availability, recovery could offer another way to manage substrate supply and used growing media. The commercial idea is not simply to recycle a material, but to provide a service that handles removal, separation and processing, potentially sparing growers from building those capabilities themselves. Overland’s model also shows how treatment, quality control and sales have to work together for reuse to be practical.
The reported trial results are encouraging but limited. Comparable strawberry yields suggest reused coir can perform in a commercial crop when appropriately processed, while the reported 8% to 10% water savings may matter to operations where irrigation efficiency is a priority. The differences in physical properties mean growers may need to adapt irrigation, rather than assume recycled material is interchangeable with virgin coir. No cost or broad environmental comparison is provided in the source report, so the financial and resource benefits cannot be quantified from these findings alone.
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From Crop Removal to Coir Recovery
Overland’s work grew out of a practical waste-handling problem. The company first served tomato, cucumber and pepper growers with mechanized crop removal; later, soft-fruit production brought large volumes of spent coir bags into focus. Recovering usable substrate required more than removing the crop: roots and other residues had to be separated, and the material had to be processed before it could return to production.
The report describes an October visit to the Kent operation, where the visitors saw the Konflex superheated-steam system as part of a larger recovery workflow. It places that work against a changing North American growing-media landscape, where growers use peat, coir, bark, wood fiber and other components. Differences in regional supply, transport costs, cropping systems and waste rules mean a UK operation cannot be assumed to transfer directly to another market.
“We’re here to supply you a good quality, good value material, and just take care of that headache for you.”
— Henry Miles, Overland
North American Fit Still Unproven
The report does not establish whether Overland’s process would be cost-effective in North America or identify specific regions where a recovery operation could work. Transport distances, available feedstock, local waste-management requirements and the cost of processing could all affect the business case. It also does not provide detailed trial figures, sample sizes or results across multiple crops and growing systems.
Biological risk is another qualification. Steam pasteurization is intended to reduce risk, but it does not sterilize the substrate. The report says treatment must be validated for the target organisms, material characteristics and intended application; it does not give organism-specific treatment results. Irrigation adjustments may also be needed because recovered coir can differ from virgin material in water retention and air-filled porosity.
Validation Must Precede Wider Use
The next step for growers considering the approach would be locally relevant testing: establish how recovered media performs with particular crops, irrigation programs and production conditions, and verify treatment against the biological risks of concern. A commercial assessment would also need to account for collection, transport, processing, testing and delivery costs rather than focus on the steam unit alone.
Overland’s existing work and NIAB collaboration offer a case study, not proof that the model will suit every market. Further trial results and evidence on operating economics would help clarify whether North American growers can adopt a similar service. Until those details are available, recovered coir is a possible option, while its local performance, costs and scale remain open questions.
Key Questions
What does Overland do with used growing media?
Overland collects and processes used coir, separating it from bags, roots and plant residues before treating and selling the recovered material for reuse.
Did recycled coir produce the same strawberry yields as new coir?
The report says NIAB-related research found that appropriately processed recycled coir could produce yields comparable to virgin coir in strawberry production. It does not give detailed trial data or establish results for all crops and conditions.
What water savings were reported?
Some commercial trials reported water savings of about 8% to 10%. The figure applies to those trials; the report does not say growers should expect the same result in other systems.
Does steam treatment sterilize the recovered coir?
No. The process uses superheated steam for pasteurization, not sterilization. The report says treatment needs validation for the target organisms, substrate and intended use.
Is this recovery model ready for North American growers?
The report does not establish that. Regional supply, transport costs, crop systems and waste rules differ, and local trials and cost assessments would be needed to judge whether the approach is practical.
Source: greenhousegrower.com
