Marine composite waste
According to the International Maritime Organization, it is both glass-reinforced plastics (GRP) waste from production processes and end-of-life products that are a huge challenge, with around 55,000 tonnes of GRP waste produced from the UK marine industry every year. This is expected to increase by 10% each year. This is not only a major environmental issue but a key challenge for the marine sector. Marine waste reduces company profitability, so having a route to cost-effective end-of-life disposal and the ability to reuse manufacturing waste is key to protecting the environment we treasure.
The National Composites Centre can help identify options for end-of-life GRP and other composite materials. We can also optimise in-process methods to reduce the materials used through the manufacturing process, as well as identify and test natural and bio-based alternative source materials.