Retailer Tesco has been investing in the cucumber plant recycling project which is also looking into using tomato plants and other commercial horticultural crops to make board.

Initial tests have shown that cucumber plant material has strong fibrous strands which can be used to produce a dense chipboard suitable for household and caravan furniture and fittings as well as kitchen surfaces and shop display units.

'It is the ultimate form of recycling,' said Tesco cucumber technologist David Collins. 'It enables plants to be grown initially for their crops before being turned into material which can be used throughout industry and the home.' The store is pioneering the technique with its suppliers, but it could eventually be applied to benefit the whole UK fresh produce industry. It is now working with tomato supplier Humber VHB to see if tomato plants can be used too.

If successful, the two crops could between them provide enough plant material to make a specialist recycling facility in the UK viable.

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