£6M Boost in Plastic Sustainability Research

UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), a prominent national funding agency, has made a significant stride in environmental conservation by backing five unique, sustainable plastic projects with a hefty £6m in funding. This move is part of the UK’s broader drive towards a sustainable future and is anticipated to yield substantial reductions in waste and pollution, diminish the need for virgin raw materials, and contribute to the country’s ambitious net-zero carbon emissions targets.

Each year, the world generates approximately 300 million tonnes of plastic. Furthermore, around 100 billion pieces of plastic packaging are discarded annually, underlining the urgent need for innovative solutions to mitigate the environmental harm caused by plastic waste.

Environment minister Rebecca Pow was explicit about the need for this transition, saying: “Plastic pollution has devastating impacts on our environment and wildlife, and I am determined that we move away from a ‘take, make, throw’ model and shift towards a circular economy for plastics. These ambitious projects will support our efforts to reduce the environmental damage caused by plastics and move towards a circular economy.”

Pioneering Change in Plastics

Five unique projects are set to lead the way in plastic research and innovation:

‘Achieving Sustainability of Absorbent Hygiene Products’ is a project steered by Professor Mark Miodownik at University College London. It aims to address the increasing demand for disposable hygiene products, such as nappies, period products, and incontinence pads. The project plans to devise a sustainable, integrated system for the production, use, and disposal of these products.

The University of Birmingham, under the leadership of Professor Andrew Dove, will be conducting research into creating ‘A Circular Economy for Medical Testing Plastics’, grappling with plastic waste generated by rapid tests for medical conditions like pregnancy and diabetes.

Dr Agnieszka Brandt-Talbot of Imperial College London is at the helm of ‘A New Approach to Recycling Multilayer Packaging’. This project focuses on tackling the challenge of recycling packaging made from plastic, paper, and aluminium bonded together. Currently, such multilayer packaging poses a high environmental price due to the lack of suitable recycling technology. Imperial College plans to bridge this gap by integrating mechanical recycling methods with chemical and biochemical techniques, like dissolving glue and metals.

‘Breaking Down Plastic Waste Quickly, Cleanly and Cheaply’ is a project guided by Dr Daniel Slocombe at the University of Cardiff. It centres on facilitating the efficient breakdown of plastic waste into its molecular-level components. These components can then be utilised to produce new, reusable plastics. A one-step, microwave-based, zero-emission process is currently in the development phase.

Lastly, the ‘Transforming Textile Waste into Recycled Plastics’ project led by Professor Chenyu Du at the University of Huddersfield aims to recover polyester and cellulose from mixed cotton/polyester fibres. The project hopes to show how these recovered materials can be re-spun into new fibres for new textile products.

A WasteTrade Perspective

WasteTrade, the leading global online marketplace for commercial recycling, is highly supportive of UKRI’s investment in sustainable plastic research. The company, which has always been a staunch advocate for advanced research into both plastics and recycling technologies, has welcomed this development.

WasteTrade believes that these projects could revolutionise the way we approach plastic waste, changing it from an environmental problem to a valuable resource. However, they stress that this £6m investment, whilst significant, should only be the beginning. The company urges further funding to be channelled towards increasing research efforts in plastic waste recycling technology.

A representative from the company said, “This funding is a step in the right direction. Still, to truly transform our plastic economy, we need to bolster investment in advanced recycling technologies and sustainable materials research. Let’s turn this plastic problem into a plastic opportunity.” Indeed, a long-term commitment to such projects could enable us to finally master the recyclability of plastic waste, a crucial step towards a sustainable future.