THE Netherlands may have missed out on winning the World Cup - but the team's players are true winners when it comes to the environment.

An extra-time goal by Spain may have shattered the Dutchmen's dreams at the World Cup final in South Africa yesterday, but at least they could go home knowing they had been helping out the planet.

Nike made the Netherlands team shirts - and those of a number of other countries such as Brazil and the USA - out of recycled plastic bottles.

Stephanie Gray, waste education manager for the Department of Infrastructure, had hoped a team wearing the recycled shirts would receive top honours.

She said: "Recycling means breaking down or melting waste to make a raw material which is then used to make something that people want to use or buy.

"This end point is crucial for recycling  - without it there is no benefit from collecting and processing waste.

"By making these world cup shirts from recycled plastic bottles, Nike clearly demonstrate their confidence in using a recycled raw material for a high specification product. This message is crucial if we are to achieve a higher recycled content in goods that the consumer will buy.

"It’s all about saving valuable non-renewable resources, such as oil used to make plastics, and reducing the energy required to extract, process and transport raw materials such as bauxite to make aluminium.

"And it’s about giving the public confidence that what they separate out of their waste for recycling really does get recycled.

"All the plastic bottles collected on the Island through kerbside scheme or at the civic amenity sites are shipped to Skelmersdale for reprocessing in to plastic flakes and pellets that are used to make furniture and clothing.   

"It would be fantastic if the World Cup had been won by 11 men in recycled plastic bottle shirts. Even better if the ball was a fair traded one . . . but that’s another conversation!"