UK Circular Plastics Flagship Projects Competition
A new £1.4 million grant programme has been launched to tackle the issue of plastic waste.
Waste and Resources Action Plan (WRAP), alongside UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), have announced a £1.4 million competition to support the delivery of the Government’s target of achieving zero avoidable plastic waste by the end of 2042. The competition forms part of the £20 million Plastic Research and Innovation Fund (PRIF).
The UK Circular Plastics Flagship Projects competition was announced at the annual meeting for members of The UK Plastics Pact on 11th October. The aims and objectives of The UK Plastics Pact by 2025 are as follows:
- 100% of plastic packaging to be reusable, recyclable or compostable
- 70% of plastic packaging effectively recycled or composted
- Take actions to eliminate problematic or unnecessary single-use packaging items through redesign, innovation or alternative (reuse) delivery models
- A minimum of 30% average recycled content across all plastic packaging
The programme will award grants between £100,000 to £500,000 to applicants who have creative business ideas to reduce the environmental impact of plastics and who bring greater circularity of plastic use. Businesses wishing to apply need to consider the following criteria:
- To reduce the total volume of plastic waste arising from the UK
- To significantly improve the rate of UK plastic recycling
- To reduce levels of confusion among citizens
- To reduce the amount of plastic ending up in the world’s oceans
All applications must be industry-led and should include collaboration with other organisations.
For more information and to register to keep up to date with details about the fund please click here.