Posted on February 4, 2026
Mr Alan Williams
Two Plymouth organisations – the University of Plymouth and Recycle it Global (RiG) – have launched a collaborative project to tackle the complex challenges posed by contaminated marine dredged materials.
A new Knowledge Transfer Partnership will unite the University’s research expertise in environmental chemistry and sustainable construction methods with the company’s work to develop innovative marine bioremediation technologies.
The project will involve the development of an innovative technique to remove contaminants from a range of waste streams, with a particular focus on materials dredged from the marine environment.
Those materials will be treated using innovative marine bioremediation technologies developed by RIG to sustainably treat contaminated dredged materials.
The technology, to be initially deployed at RIG’s base at Cattedown, will be adaptable to many different biochemical variables and enable the company to process and land large volumes of dredged material from local waters and those across the UK that cannot be managed through conventional disposal routes.
The project addresses the absence of safe, cost-effective disposal methods for these materials, transforming a regulatory challenge into a commercial opportunity by creating valuable construction materials and supporting the company’s expansion into the £20 bn global dredging market.
RIG’s mission is to engineer solutions that address the complex challenges within the solid and fluid waste sectors, providing new life for materials once destined for landfill. This project allows RIG to accelerate our development of our marine dredging solution, by recovering usable materials and decontaminating the true waste. The UK and rest of world have an urgent need to find a cost effective and sustainable solution to dealing with contaminated dredging waste generated in ports around the world. With the inevitable tightening of contamination limits in the UK on the horizon, it becomes even more urgent that a solution is found.
Oscar Milverton Gatta
Co-Founder and CTO of Recycle it Global
The University’s participation in the initiative builds on more than four decades of involvement in Knowledge Transfer Partnerships, and involves experts in chemistry from its School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences and structural engineers from the School of Engineering, Computing and Mathematics.
Between them, they have expertise in the measurement of contaminants, recycling and reuse of industrial waste and the creation of sustainable construction products, to ensure that various forms of contaminated materials do not pose a long-term environmental threat.
