Chemical Recycling of Mixed Feedstock Plastics

PhD student: Matthew Cullen
External partner: Abbott Diabetes Care

Project title: Chemical Recycling of Mixed Feedstock Plastics

Single-use plastic medical devices create complex sustainability challenges, particularly when they contain multiple materials that are difficult to separate and recycle.

In collaboration with Abbott Diabetes Care, Matthew’s PhD research explores chemical recycling routes for the FreeStyle Libre 2, a disposable continuous glucose monitoring device. The project investigates how different plastics within the device can be selectively recycled back into useful chemical building blocks, without the need for manual separation.

This work shows how industry-linked PhD research can address a specific technical challenge while contributing to wider goals around circular materials, waste reduction and sustainable healthcare technologies.

This collaboration demonstrates:

• Industry-relevant research shaped around a real product challenge
• Access to specialist academic expertise in sustainable chemical technologies
• Long-term research capacity focused on a partner priority
• Potential pathways towards more circular use of plastics in healthcare