Knowledge measures

Improve technologies to recycle mixed materials. Technology to recycle all plastics

Research and Innovation Research and Innovation

Photo: shutterstock Photo: shutterstock

Relevant type of aquaculture:

Fish Shellfish Seaweed

Relevant sea basin:

North

Relevant stage:

Removal and recycling

Related Barriers:

  • Designers and manufacturers of aquaculture equipment are not sufficiently encouraged to be innovative and seek other alternatives such as collecting and recycling services, in order to reduce the impact of their products on the natural environment.

  • More research is needed concerning the recycling options from used nets.

  • Recycling marine waste is difficult especially if the waste is of low value due to degradation

  • The market for recycled products is too small

  • There is not enough structural support for environmental enhancement initiatives like beach clean-ups and recycling projects.

Related Good Practice:

R&R GP 4.4

Innovative solution to our plastic recycling problem

Australian scientists may have discovered a solution to our plastic recycling problem. When China stopped taking Australia’s recyclable waste in 2018, scientists have developed a technology that could make all plastic recyclable. The Catalytic Hydrothermal Reactor (Cat-HTR) does a form of chemical recycling that changes the plastics at a molecular level to turn them back into oil. From there, the oil can be turned into bitumen, petrol or back into different kinds of plastics (ABC news article).