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Innovation Episodes

Jan. 16, 2025

25. Interview - Alice Rackley, Polytag

This week, James and Robbie welcome Alice Rackley, CEO of Polytag, a groundbreaking company revolutionising plastic recycling with UV watermark technology. Trusted by major retailers like Aldi, Co-op, Ocado, and M&S, Polytag is set to cover 50% of UK domestic household recycling, driving significan…

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Jan. 9, 2025

24. Are invisible barcodes the holy grail of plastic recycling?

Did you know the packaging you buy today might be covered in invisible barcodes? These barcodes help recyclers to work out what type of plastic a yoghurt pot might be made of, or whether an empty bottle was full of drink or detergent. For this reason they are cited as the future of our packaging! H…

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Dec. 12, 2024

20. Interview - Pierre Paslier, Notpla

This week, James and Robbie are joined by Pierre Paslier, co-founder of Notpla, a groundbreaking company turning seaweed into sustainable alternatives to plastic. After winning the prestigious Earthshot Prize in 2022, Notpla has been making waves in the fight against plastic pollution. In this epis…

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Dec. 5, 2024

19. Breaking down compostable plastic

Compostable plastic has grown significantly in the past few years as producers of packaging attempt to move away from conventional plastics. Why is this material so hard to collect and recycle? Plus, we explore how electrical items are collected, are rubber bands rubbish or not, and we have a quest…

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Nov. 7, 2024

15. Interview - Alex Robinson, Hubbub

James and Robbie spend some time with Alex Robinson, CEO at Hubbub, a creative charity that inspires action that’s good for the environment, and for everyone. Hubbub's fun and innovative campaigns support individuals, households and communities to make a difference, by helping everyone get involved…

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Sept. 5, 2024

6. How can we make refillable packaging work?

Most of us want refillable packaging to work, but it seems to have continual bumps in the road, with trials getting cancelled and consumers struggling to engage. What have we learned from the trials that have taken place and what can they tell us about the future of refill? Plus, how is glass recyc…

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Aug. 1, 2024

1. Why are bottle caps suddenly attached?

Discover why bottle caps are suddenly tethered to drinks bottles and how this can help with their recycling. Plus, how is waste actually collected, can pizza boxes be recycled and why does council guidance not always align to national messaging?

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