Companies that can recycle plastics, including cling film and uPVC windows, will be eligible for the grants which are intended to bring more sorting and reprocessing infrastructure on-stream.
The fund builds on recent studies to identify viable business opportunities to boost plastics recycling in Scotland and will cover a range of polymer types from bottles through rigid plastics to films.
Last year Scotland generated around 500,000 tonnes of waste plastic, only a fifth of which was recycled. Most of the material that was recovered was either sent to England for reprocessing or exported abroad.
The fund, which will be administered by Zero Waste Scotland and Scottish Enterprise, aims to change that by encouraging more localised recovery operations.
Welcoming the scheme, Environment Secretary Richard Lochhead said: “Zero Waste Scotland’s research highlights how there is potential for businesses to recycle more and different varieties of plastic.
“It is part of our drive to maximise the economic and employment benefits of recycling resources again and again, establishing a more circular economy in Scotland.”
Maxine Perella