UK-based startup LabCycle has received £180,000 in funding from the British Design Fund (BDF) to support the development of what it calls the ‘world’s first’ AutoDecon system, designed to safely recycle contaminated laboratory plastics into high‑grade resources without high heat or pressure.
The investment is part of a broader funding round, alongside a £250,000 Innovate UK Investment Partnership grant awarded in collaboration with BDF.
Each year, more than 5.5 million tonnes of plastic waste are generated by research and healthcare laboratories globally, with the majority incinerated. This practice produces carbon emissions equivalent to 23 million cars annually and permanently destroys high‑grade plastics designed for precision science.
As regulatory and institutional pressure mounts to meet net‑zero targets, laboratories are being asked to reduce their environmental impact without compromising safety, performance or cost — a challenge existing waste systems were never designed to meet.
It was while studying for her PhD at the University of Bath that Dr Helen Liang, co‑founder of LabCycle, set out to tackle the problem. Her vision was to turn single‑use lab plastic waste into new lab equipment, creating a circular economy and reducing the volume of plastic waste generated by the scientific and biomedical sectors.
Colin Francis, Co‑founder & CEO of LabCycle, said:
“For too long, laboratory plastic waste has been treated as an unavoidable environmental cost, rather than a recoverable resource.
Our mission at LabCycle is to build a truly circular economy, and AutoDecon is designed to make that possible, with the potential to reduce carbon emissions significantly compared to current incineration practices.
The funding will enable us to progress into a phase of focused execution as we scale our operations to meet growing demand across the sector.”
Damon Bonser, CEO of the British Design Fund, said:
“LabCycle is addressing a critical challenge for the scientific and healthcare sectors with a solution that is both innovative and urgently needed.
Their approach to creating a circular system for laboratory plastics has the potential to deliver meaningful environmental impact at scale. We’re pleased to support the team as they take this next step in their journey.”
LabCycle currently operates under commercial contracts with the NHS, private companies and universities, supporting organisations to transition away from incineration.
The company’s work has been recognised across industry and healthcare, including being named CleanTech Startup of the Year at the UK Startup Awards, Best Consumable Innovation (100 per cent recycled Petri dishes) at Lab Innovations, and Best Recycling Initiative within the NHS.
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