Canada invests in plastics recycling and bioplastics

The province of Alberta, Canada is investing EUR 30 million to accelerate recycling and circular economy projects.

The funding supports 18 initiatives worth a combined EUR 123 million in public and private investment under the Emissions Reduction Alberta (ERA) programme.

Four plastics projects were chosen through ERA’s competitive review process. Each will pilot or demonstrate new technologies within Alberta.

New pioneers

Nova Chemicals will receive EUR 2.9 million to develop advanced compounding techniques that improve the quality and performance of recycled polyethylene. The project, valued at EUR 5.8 million, will be carried out in Calgary.

Curtis Construction gets EUR 1.6 million to launch Alberta’s first agricultural recycling system for polypropylene. Using a water-based cleaning process and mechanical recycling, the EUR 6.8 million project will operate in Bentley.

Plascred Circular Innovations has been granted EUR 3.1 million to build a commercial-scale pyrolysis plant in Calgary. The facility, valued at EUR 15.5 million, will convert plastic waste into naphtha used in crude oil dilution.

In Edmonton, TerraVerdae BioWorks will receive EUR 770 000 to produce biodegradable bioplastics to replace non-recyclable materials in films and coatings. The total project cost is EUR 1.5 million.

Each recipient must publish a final report detailing outcomes, job creation, emissions cuts and other environmental and social benefits.