By Sarah Cook National mandatory requirements are the only way Australia can reduce waste and create a circular economy for packaging. The current voluntary approach is not working. While the Australian Packaging Covenant Organisation (APCO) set National Packaging Targets for 2025 — including 50 per cent of average recycled content included in packaging — the data show…
Skincare company Ego Pharmaceuticals aims to save 18 tonnes of packaging waste from landfill annually by switching to recyclable low-density polyethylene (LDPE) for its QV Skincare brand tube products. In a statement on Monday marking National Recycling Week, the company said the transition from laminate for the packaging was already underway, with “a mix of…
By Karen Raubenheimer, University of Wollongong It’s been 20 years since a paper in the journal Science showed the environmental accumulation of tiny plastic fragments and fibres. It named the particles “microplastics”. The paper opened an entire research field. Since then, more than 7,000 published studies have shown the prevalence of microplastics in the environment,…
Recycling technology company Samsara Eco has appointed a scientific advisory board to work alongside its R&D team and guide strategic initiatives. In a statement on Monday, Samsara – which completed a $100 million funding round in June – named the following advisory board members: Dr Sean Simpson, co-founder, LanzaTech; Dr Gregg Beckham, Senior Research Fellow…
UNSW researchers have developed a new recycling method that can work on a variety of plastics and uses sunlight, air and a cheap, common chemical. According to a statement from the university, the process could break down seven different types of polymers by 90 per cent in under 30 minutes (and 97 per cent after…
The NSW Environment Protection Authority (EPA) has invited universities and government research institutions in the state to apply for a total of $1.25 million in grants available through the Plastics Research Program (PRP). Applications are open until September 5, and grants are valued at between $250,000 and $500,000 each. According to the program’s description, funded…
CRDC Australia has officially opened a new factory in the Melbourne suburb of Tottenham, where it is transforming end-of-life hard and soft plastics into “an Eco-Aggregate that improves concrete.” “Following the US, Costa Rica, and South Africa, we are proud to be the fourth global location hosting this groundbreaking technology,” said Shane Ramsey, Managing Director…
UNSW researchers’ new recycling technique able to convert various plastic types into polymer nanoparticles and remove dyes is being commercialised, leading to deals with Arnott’s Group and coffee company Pablo & Rusty’s. According to a statement from the university on Thursday, the technique is low-energy, and polymers dispersed in water can be either extracted for…
By Anya Phelan, Griffith University After the memorable collapse of Australia’s largest soft plastic recycling program REDcycle in late 2022, a new scheme is emerging. It’s remarkably similar, albeit on a much smaller scale. The trial underway in 12 Melbourne supermarkets intends, once again, to provide customers with an in-store option for recycling “scrunchable” food…
As our journey to uncover Australia’s 50 Most Innovative Manufacturers gathers pace, we hear from a small business from Robe in South Australia that’s developed a world-first polymer using a difficult industrial waste stream. Brent Balinski spoke to Transmutation founder Brad Scott about the career shift that brought him to plastic recycling. Brad Scott uses…
