Oxford is the greenest city in the UK. It has a higher-than-average proportion of residents committed to walking, cycling and using electric vehicles – and one of the UK’s highest recycling rates. (ENDS Report, May 2024.)
The green ethos is visible in the innovative businesses within the city and around Oxfordshire which are working to find a solution to the issue of waste in a world that produces over 330 billion kilogrammes of plastic annually, but recycles only 10% of it.
Oxford graduate Dr Bryan Ng set up his technology company to focus on solutions to the global plastic waste crisis. Repolywise draws on research with practical applications. Its ‘atomic scissors’ technique breaks down waste plastics efficiently into their starting materials using a combination of heat, hydrogen and catalyst. This major advance in chemical recycling reduces energy costs and improves efficiency compared to traditional recycling – and creates high-quality clean plastic. Repolywise received start-up backing of £375,000 from Innovate UK in 2023 and at the end of last year it moved into the AgileLabs at Begbroke Science Park.
Dr Ng said that among his reasons for choosing Begbroke were its access to the Oxford ecosystem, its supportive environment, and being co-located with exciting research teams from other companies.
Another company focused on the plastic waste issue is Deeptech-recycling, based at Wootton Science Park, Abingdon. Also working in the field of chemical recycling, its patented technology converts complex, hard-to-recycle plastics into base chemicals and chemical feedstock. Founded in 2011, it has developed its proprietary technology through research, engineering and collaboration with industry and academia. It has raised a total of around £2.1 million, with a recent fundraising round led by deep tech and life sciences venture capital firm EMV Capital.
Image provided by Recycling Technologies Ltd