RECYCLING technology business Polytag has announced it has been awarded over £100,000 from the Small Business Research Initiative (SBRI) Centre of Excellence, funded by the Welsh Government, to install four Polytag plastic detection units across the country.
The units, which scan and collect data on individual products at barcode level as they enter the recycling stream, will be placed at material recovery facilities (MRFs) in Conwy, Gwynedd, Pembrokeshire, and Anglesey.
The funding has been granted as part of an upcoming circular economy innovation project to help the Welsh public sector achieve net zero by 2030.
By scanning Polytag’s UV watermarks affixed to products, the plastic detection units gather data on the types and quantities of materials being recycled at barcode level, shedding light on the true composition of the recycling waste stream at any given time.
Developed in partnership with EBS, the units will provide a picture of the recycling landscape through their strategic deployment at MRFs estimated to support a number of council districts looking to increase recycled household waste.
Polytag will also work with a number of regional and national brands to integrate its UV watermarks with its GS1-approved consumer-facing QR codes, creating a digital trail to trace packaging throughout the recycling journey, at the barcode level.
Alice Rackley, CEO of Polytag, said, “This partnership is another remarkable move by the Welsh Government towards a fully circular economy. Wales has been leading in this space for years, and Polytag is privileged to become a bigger part of that. This fund will enable us to install our award-winning technology at four key sites that see large amounts of waste and recycling in Wales and help provide invaluable data that will enable brands to take responsibility for their packaging.”
