The Becopotty is created by Becothings, a company that won best Green Start-Up Business (UK) at the HSBC Start-Up Stars Green Awards. Becothings create fully recycled household essentials including hangers and dog bowls, and the Becopotty’s ‘green’ credentials are hard to beat. Made from farming leftovers, including bamboo waste and rice husks, the natural plant fibres are ground to a paste and then moulded with biodegradable resin to create a simple, but very sturdy potty.
What we love
The Becopotty is 100% sustainable and biodegradable, so once you’re finished with it, all you need to do is pop it in the garden and it will break-down naturally over the next few years, feeding your garden and helping the environment at the same time. Result! The Becothings website suggests that you drill a few holes in the potty base, ‘plant’ your potty in the garden, add some seeds and a little water and enjoy watching your flowers grow – my son and I are looking forward to doing this and it’s a great introduction to being green.
So, now to the practicalities. The Becopotty features a high backrest for support and a splashguard to avoid mess. It’s tough and durable, but otherwise, the design is very simple. It’s not the best-looking potty I’ve seen (it actually reminded me of a hospital bedpan), but the benefits far outweigh the aesthetics.
It’s small (to keep packaging and waste to a minimum), so great for taking out with you, but not as light as a plastic potty. There are two grips, so it’s easy to pick up, and its smooth finish means cleaning is a doddle.
At £7.99, it’s a bit more expensive than your average basic potty, but the thought that you’re not contributing to the 17 million other potties that are sent to landfill around the world each year*, means that it’s definitely worth the extra few quid.
What to look out for
Because it’s so tough and sturdy, my son actually found the Becopotty a little hard and uncomfortable to sit on, but it didn’t deter him from doing his business. Also because it’s heavier, it wasn’t as easy for him to take it to the toilet to flush the contents – which he’s always keen to do.
The only other disadvantage is that it doesn’t have a grip on the base, so it slips a bit when used on a hard surface.
Who is the Becothings Becopotty best for?
Green-living families with toddlers ready to potty train.
Sustainable, biodegradable and tough, this potty has the feel-good factor, but is a little heavy and uncomfortable.
(*Source: becothings website)
