Australian enviro-tech startup, Samsara Eco, is creating Australia’s first infinite recycling Research & Development (R&D) facility.
Positioned within the Poplars Innovation Precinct at Jerrabomberra, Queanbeyan in Regional NSW, the new R&D facility will provide a new home base for Samsara Eco to scale its patented enzymatic capabilities and will serve as a key milestone for the company as it moves towards recycling 1.5 million tonnes of plastic per annum by 2030.
Since launching in 2021, Samsara Eco’s R&D has been based at the research laboratories at the Australian National University (ANU). Samsara Eco will continue to partner with the ANU as it works to scale up its world-leading technology ready for commercialisation.
Paul Riley, CEO and Founder of Samsara Eco spoke about the companies plans for the future.
“You can’t solve the climate crisis unless you solve the plastics crisis. Plastic is one of the greatest inventions of the 20th century and provides enormous utility because of its durability, flexibility and strength. Yet, it’s also an environmental disaster with almost every piece of the 9 billion tonnes ever made still on the planet” Riley said.
The R&D facility will be solely focused on accelerating Samsara Eco’s scientific research, ready for commercialisation in future facilities. Samsara Eco is working with Poplars, the Queanbeyan-Palerang Regional Council and the local community to develop Australia’s first infinite recycling R&D facility, which is expected to be operational by late 2024.
“We’ve had fantastic growth out of our ANU lab so far, but the plastic problem is growing fast. As we gear up towards commercialisation, 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,” Riley said.
Samsara Eco delivers a solution to the problem. Instead of mining for fossil fuels to create new plastic or relying on current recycling methods — which result in less than 10 per cent of plastic waste actually being recycled — Samsara Eco takes plastic that already exists and infinitely recycles it.
Queanbeyan-Palerang Regional Council Mayor, Cr Kenrick Winchester said that securing Samsara Eco as a key anchor tenant of the Poplars Innovation Precinct was a great step toward achieving the vision for the precinct.
Council shares Poplars Developments’ vision that focuses on attracting defence, space, cyber-security, information technology and scientific research sectors to the new precinct.
“Samsara Eco’s innovative technology has the potential to put Queanbeyan and Jerrabomberra on the international stage as countries all over the world look for ways to reduce waste and work toward net-zero carbon 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,” the Mayor concluded.
David Maxwell, Director Poplars Developments spoke about why Queanbeyan was chosen.
“Poplars Innovation Precinct is located in Queanbeyan on the doorstep of the Australian Capital Territory which will support employment and investment opportunities. With an expanding network of connections to a range of Universities and growth in the scientific research and high-technology industries, the precinct will be uniquely positioned to accelerate Samsara Eco’s next phase of growth,” Maxwell said.
Samsara Eco’s infinite recycling technology returns plastic to its core molecules, which can then be used to recreate brand-new plastic, again and again. Currently, Samsara Eco’s enzymatic library can tackle challenging plastics including coloured, multi-layered, mixed plastics and textiles like polyester and nylon 6,6. The R&D facility will be pivotal to expanding its enzymatic library.
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