A Manchester-based clean tech startup has won a five-figure government contract to help combat waste crime.
Dsposal, set up by CEO Tom Passmore and COO Sophie Walker, was launched last March with a mission to make it easy for everyone to find the right place for their waste and tackle the national fly tipping epidemic.
The company has won an £80,000 contract to research how to develop a smart waste-tracking system for the whole of the UK.
Dsposal is one of five companies across the UK to have been awarded this contract. The start-up is also in the running to be one of two potential projects that could be chosen for an additional £500,000 of second phase funding under the new GovTech Catalyst scheme; which if successful, would start later this year.
Sophie Walker, co-founder and COO, said: “Dsposal is the first interconnected, collaborative waste management platform for everyone. We’re on a mission to help tackle waste crime, promote waste as a valuable resource and drive the circular economy.
“Winning this contract is a testament to all the work that we’ve put in and reassures us that we’re on the right track. It’s a huge challenge, the waste industry is very complex, but it’s also an enormous opportunity. We need to be bold and use this chance to do something transformative. Waste is in the public eye like never before and we must seize this chance to deliver solutions that move the country towards resource efficiency and help us deliver on the Government’s ambitious Resources and Waste Strategy.”
