MALMESBURY tech giants have named the winner of the annual James Dyson Award, a design competition for students across the world.

The competition encourages university students to fix a problem that needs solving.

This year’s winner was 24 year old Lucy Hughes who is a student at University of Sussex. She created MarinaTex, a plastic alternative made of organic marine waste. It is a type of bioplastic made of organic fish waste ordinarily destined for landfill or incineration and locally sourced red algae.

Miss Hughes said: “Plastic is an amazing material, and as a result, we have become too reliant on it as designers and engineers. It makes no sense to me that we’re using plastic, an incredibly durable material, for products that have a life-cycle of less than a day. For me, MarinaTex represents a commitment to material innovation and selection by incorporating sustainable, local and circular values into design.

“I’m so delighted that MarinaTex has been recognised by the James Dyson award. The invention is still in its infancy and I never thought it would make it to this stage, so it’s really encouraging to have the potential of the material acknowledged. by such a prestigious award. I’m excited to now have the chance to undertake further research and development to explore all of the possible uses of MarinaTex, taking into account form, function and its footprint.”