Australian enviro-tech startup Samsara launches to create infinite recycling and end plastic pollution

Backed by Woolworths Group, The Australian National University and Main Sequence, Samsara will address the plastic waste crisis by removing the need to create new plastics from fossil fuels and diverting waste from our oceans and landfill.

Sydney, Australia - Tuesday, 21 September 2021 - Australian enviro-tech startup Samsara has developed a new way to infinitely recycle plastic to help end the plastic pollution crisis. The ground-breaking technology uses plastic-eating superbugs (enzymes) to break plastic down to its core building blocks, which can then be used to recreate brand new plastic, again and again.

Of the 2.5 million tonnes of plastic waste generated by Australians on average each year, only 9% is sent for recycling, while a devastating 84% ends up in our landfills*. The main reason is that current recycling methods are inefficient, time-intensive and costly. Adding to the issue is that current methods do not allow all plastic to be recycled (like coloured bottles) or recycled repeatedly without degradation.

Samsara offers a new approach to recycling that overcomes these issues. It is carbon-neutral, environmentally friendly and doesn’t require any change to consumer behavior. Samsara’s initial focus is PET plastic and polyester, which is commonly used to create plastic bottles and fast fashion, accounting for roughly a fifth of plastic created annually”, but its long term mission is to tackle what would be a world first, the mixed bale of plastic, by advancing the process so that every kind of plastic can, one day, be infinitely recycled. Samsara is backed by co-founders Woolworths Group, The Australian National University and deep tech venture fund Main Sequence founded by CSIRO, who have joined forces to tackle the plastic waste problem with leading-edge science.

CEO & Co-Founder of Samsara, Paul Riley, commented:

“If we’re determined to solve the plastic crisis we need to start with where the problem lies, which is how it’s made and recycled. Samsara is a major breakthrough because we’re able to make plastic infinitely recyclable.”

“This means we will never have to create plastic from virgin materials like fossil fuels again, and we can divert plastic from our oceans and landfill. This gives consumer brands the tools to continue using plastic with zero tradeoffs. Samsara’s recycled plastic looks and performs like the original, minus the environmental price tag. For consumers, it will remove the time and energy that goes into thinking about what products to purchase because Samsara plastic is not only recycled, it is infinitely recyclable.*