NEPIC Plastic Recycling Workshop

Dr Libby Gibson (Newcastle University), PhD student Ben Lyons (Imperial College London) and Justina Heslop (Newcastle University) attended the NEPIC Plastic Recycling Workshop on 24th November 2021 held at NEPIC HQ in Teesside. It was great to come together to discuss the plastics recycling landscape, the challenges and opportunities companies face, and the regional development steps going forward. 

Ahmet Onur Agca, Innovation Manager at NEPIC delivered the first presentation showcasing the research NEPIC and Durham University have conducted across the plastics recycling community on Teesside. His presentation on Supply Chain Integration in the Plastic Recycling Industry, done in association with Durham University Business School aimed to strengthen the capabilities of the plastics recycling sector in the North East region by developing a supply chain integration framework. This was a timely presentation which aligns with future road mapping work the UKRI Centre for Circular Chemical Economy will be undertaking.

Gavin Lewis, Innovation Lead at UKRI delivered a presentation on the Smart Sustainable Plastic Packaging Challenge and the UK Plastics Pact.

Richard Dale, ReNEW ELP delivered an interesting presentation on the ReNEW ELP technology: Hydro PRS- Advanced Recycling System

The meeting was rounded up by a lively panel discussion which focussed on Sector Challenges and Opportunities.  The panel consisted of James Donaldson, Sortology, David Hughes, Teesside University, Richard Daley, ReNew ELP, Peter Lillie, Academic Health Sciences Networks.

The meeting provided a good opportunity to network with industry and academia and we hope to strengthen our links with NEPIC and industry in the Teesside cluster.