UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) has released £6 million of funding to support five projects that will support a sustainable plastics system.
Environment minister Rebecca Pow said the plastic projects will support the UK’s efforts to “reduce the environmental damage caused by plastics and move towards a circular economy.”
It is estimated that 5 million tonnes per year of plastic are used in the UK, with 100 billion pieces of packaging thrown away.
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The multidisciplinary three-year plastic projects will research easier recycling of food packaging, plastics incorporated in textiles and in pregnancy and other medical tests.
Researchers will also analyse greener production, use and disposal of hygiene products and the breaking down of used plastics into their chemical components for reuse in producing high-quality new plastics.
The funding is being delivered by UK Research and Innovation’s Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) (£5 million in funding) and Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) (£1 million in funding).
