RECOUP has announced an expansion of its in-house laboratory through improvements to its microplastic analysis capabilities.
The organisation said it marks an ‘important development’ in its ability to examine plastics at a far more detailed level, strengthening the evidence base available to industry, researchers, and policymakers.
RECOUP’s enhanced microplastic analysis capability builds on the organisation’s established lab services – including recyclability assessments, material identification, and sorting performance evaluation. The upgraded methods allow for more precise examination of microplastics, offering clearer insight into polymer types, particle size, morphology, and behaviour.
The improved approach also enables RECOUP to detect microplastics previously hidden within complex materials such as soil samples. By digesting organic matter and applying density separation, the laboratory can isolate particles that standard visual analysis may miss.
Using an FTIR microscope, RECOUP revealed it can now accurately identify polymers in particles as small as 200 μm – providing stronger confirmation of material composition and fragmentation behaviour. Integrating this with existing testing programmes allows RECOUP to link product design and recyclability outcomes with how materials behave in real world systems and environmental pathways.
Richard Cham, technical manager at RECOUP, said, “By enhancing our microplastic analysis, we are adding greater scientific depth to the services our members and partners already rely on. This new capability helps us uncover microplastics that were previously undetected in environmental samples and enables us to evaluate plastics more fully across their lifecycle so that organisations can take evidence-based action to reduce environmental impact.”
