A team of Year 9 and 10 students won at the South West Young Enterprise Company Programme - and will now represent Cornwall in the national finals.

Re:Capped clinched the award at the regional final held at The Falcon Hotel in Bude on May 9.

Competing against teams from schools like Clifton High School, The King Alfred School, and St Mary's Caine, they not only took home the award for Best Presentation, but also won the coveted title of Best Overall Company.

The young entrepreneurs wowed the jury with their innovative and impactful mission.

It will now represent Cornwall and the whole South West region at the national finals.

The team collects bottle tops and repurposes the plastic into everyday utilities.

Their future plan involves transitioning from product creation to manufacturing large sheets of sustainable HDPE plastic.

Re:Capped have a mission to not just manufacture but to drive change in the industry.

Falmouth Packet:

Apart from their enterprise ventures, they are also petitioning the government to mandate plastic labelling.

Many bottle tops are currently unusable due to missing labels which interfere with recycling efforts.

Re:Capped has also written a children's book to educate on plastic pollution.

They are now seeking support from the local community to move forward in their mission.

Their current limitation is the need for an industrial-sized panni press or hot plate to melt HDPE into larger sheets.

Their present equipment only allows them to produce A4-sized sheets.

To overcome this hurdle, they are urging any who can assist to get in touch.

Re:Capped will represent the South West at the Young Enterprise National Finals on June 6.

If victorious, they will represent the UK in Scilly in July.

Locals who can help with their equipment needs or support their children's book project can get in touch with Hayley Bissenden at hab@tretherras.net or follow their journey on Instagram at @re.capped.