Five companies working across the UK have been awarded up to £80,000 to develop innovative digital solutions to tackle the challenge of tracking waste from its source through its treatment and final disposal.
The successful projects include research into tracking waste through electronic chips and sensors, the use of blockchain, looking at common reporting platforms, and new data analytics.
In November 2017, the Cabinet Office announced a £20 million Innovate UK fund to encourage tech firms to deliver innovative solutions to public sector challenges, like the improvement of waste tracking and action against waste crime.
Environment Minister Therese Coffey said: “We want to move towards a more circular economy, where waste is valued as a resource and reused. We are also committed to cracking down on waste criminals who exploit the system.”
“Congratulations to the winning projects. I look forward to seeing their innovative waste tracking solutions which will help is to meet these ambitions, and play their part in helping us achieve zero avoidable waste in the UK by 2050.”
The winners include Vastum, a waste tracking service developed by Anthesis, and Dsposal, a clean-tech start-up working towards a world where all waste is treated as a resource.