Funding for GovTech Catalyst Competition Winners

Government awards £400,000 to GovTech Catalyst competition winners to track waste across the UK.

14:25 04 March 2019

Five companies who have won the GovTech Catalyst competition have received a total of £400,000 from the government to develop a technology that will improve waste tracking in the United Kingdom.

 

The UK government has been looking for innovative digital solutions to tackle the challenge of tracking waste from its source through its treatment and final disposal. According to recent figures, Brits throw away 200 million tonnes of waste a year. The huge amount of waste makes the process of transporting and disposing it complicated. The Government is looking at partnering with firms to determine how waste is generated, handled and disposed and see if there are opportunities to minimise damage to the environment and maximise the value of waste as a resource.

 

Environment Minister Thérèse Coffey said: "We want to move towards a more circular economy, where waste is valued as a resource and reused. We are also committed to cracking down on waste criminals who exploit the system."

 

He added: "Congratulations to the winning projects. I look forward to seeing their innovative waste tracking solutions which will help us to meet these ambitions, and play their part in helping us achieve zero avoidable waste in the UK by 2050."

 

Minister for Implementation Oliver Dowden said: "The GovTech Catalyst is a great example of collaborative working between the Government and innovative start-ups."

 

"The effective management of waste will help improve the environment and boost this emerging industry, clearly highlighting how our investment in smarter technologies is crucial to tackling public sector challenges."