A REVOLUTIONARY scheme which could bring major industry back to Watchet took a giant step forward this week when it won a grant of nearly £300,000.

The hope is to replace jobs lost by the closure of the Wansbrough Paper Mill and make the town a world leader in a pioneering new recycling process.

The money will help to finance a pilot project to develop the first-ever bio-recycling process which uses fungi to consume plastic waste and turn it into green clean products including insulation board.

After research trials in an existing building on the Wansbrough paper mill site, it is hoped that full-scale production will be transferred to a major new plant on the site.

This will not only replace the 170 jobs that were lost three years ago, but will bring a range of work, training and apprenticeships for young people in the area, preventing them from having to move away.

Social enterprise group the Onion Collective, which is behind Watchet’s £7 million East Quay development, has secured the £287,701 funding from the Waitrose Plan Plastic Million Pound Challenge.

It is one of five winners from over 150 applicants to get a share of a £1 million fund raised by Waitrose by the sale of 5p carrier bags.

The grant is specifically to develop the potential of the process – which is claimed to be an entirely green carbon-negative and revolutionary way of dealing with plastic waste.

In partnership with sustainable company Biohm – a world leader in using mycelium (fungi) to turn plastic waste into ecologically-acceptable products – the Onion Collective is planning an 18-month demonstration project before, hopefully, turning the scheme into a major commercial concern.

It is estimated that, if the project is successful, the first jobs could become available on the site within two or three years.For the full report, buy today's Free Press.