Samsara Eco, an Australian environmental tech startup, has developed a carbon-neutral and eco-friendly process to recycle plastic, which has an enormous environmental impact.
Within the regional NWS, the company is establishing Australia’s first infinite recycling research and development facility at the Poplars Innovation Precinct in Jerrabomberra, Queanbeyan. This facility is expected to be operational by the end of this year.
Samsara aims to reach a milestone of recycling 1.5 million tonnes of plastic annually by 2030. The new R&D facility will become the company’s home base to enhance its patented enzymatic expertise.
Samsara Eco’s R&D, which commenced in 2021 at the Australian National University (ANU) research laboratories, will continue its partnership with the ANU to scale up its technology for commercial use.
“We’ve had fantastic growth out of our ANU lab, but the plastic problem is growing fast,” said Paul Riley, CEO and founder of Samsara Eco.
“As we gear up towards commercialization, access to our first R&D facility will enable us to accelerate the capabilities of infinite recycling and scale our solution, which breaks down plastics in minutes, not centuries,”
The company’s technology offers an alternative to traditional recycling methods and fossil fuel extraction. It provides an infinite plastic recycling technology that breaks down plastic into its core molecular material.
Samsara Eco’s enzymatic library can handle complicated plastics, including coloured, multi-layered, mixed plastics and textiles such as polyester and nylon, and the new R&D facility will expand this capability.
Kenrick Winchester, Mayor of the Queanbeyan-Palerang Regional Council, said Samsara Eco’s technology could potentially put the region on the international stage for its innovation to reduce waste toward net-zero emissions.
“We hope that securing Samsara Eco is the first of many new and exciting initiatives for the precinct, and we look forward to the employment opportunities the precinct will provide,” Winchester concluded.
