Transport Canada’s Plastics Challenge: Recycling of Glass Fibre-Reinforced Plastic

Backgrounder

Canada lacks feasible options for recycling and disposing of glass fibre-reinforced plastic – most commonly referred to as fibreglass – used in the construction of pleasure craft.

It is estimated there are over six million pleasure craft in use in Canada and a large percentage of them are constructed using fibreglass. A study on Canada’s ship recycling capacity estimates over 43,000 vessels in this country, including those built with fibreglass, reach end-of-life each year. The most common destination for fibreglass vessels is the landfill. The lack of viable recycling and disposal options has contributed to the number of abandoned and dilapidated vessels in Canadian waters and on land. As the number of vessels reaching end-of-life each year is expected to grow, there is an increasing need for environmentally responsible recycling and disposal options in Canada.

In fall 2018, Environment and Climate Change Canada launched the $12.85 million Canadian Plastics Innovation Challenge. This initiative is funded by participating federal departments and agencies through the Innovative Solutions Canada program. This program allows federal departments and agencies to issue challenges to Canadian small and medium-sized businesses, to develop potential solutions targeting various issues across multiple sectors. The Canadian Plastics Innovation Challenge specifically invites Canadian small and medium-sized businesses to develop possible solutions for problems related to plastic waste.

Transport Canada is one of the 20 participating federal departments and agencies that issued challenges through the Innovative Solutions Canada program. Together, the funding from federal departments and agencies represents a $100-million investment for each of the next three years, to fund innovative challenges focused on various issues across all sectors including pollution from plastics.

Transport Canada is responsible for ensuring all parts of the transportation system work together effectively; initiatives such as the Canadian Plastic Innovation Challenge help build Canada’s safe, secure and environmentally responsible transportation system. On October 3, 2018, the department issued a challenge to Canadian small and medium-sized businesses to develop economically viable and environmentally sustainable methods for recycling or reusing glass fibre-reinforced plastic in a manner that is energy efficient and recovers as much material as possible.

Canadian small and medium-sized businesses are eligible to receive up to $150,000, under phase one, to develop a proof of concept, which would consist of proving the scientific and technical feasibility and commercial potential of a novel idea. Canadian small and medium-sized businesses that complete the proof of concept may be eligible to receive funding for up to $1 million to develop a working prototype under phase two.

Transport Canada’s plastics challenge also aligns with the Oceans Protection Plan’s mandate to conduct research into vessel recycling. The development of a technique that is cost effective and energy efficient and that builds new markets for recycling fibreglass could provide benefits to all sectors which need to dispose of fibreglass.

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