THE firm behind controversial plans for a ‘science park’ on fields near Swindon has come up with a world-first bio-degradable blister pack.

The Wasdell Group research and development team devised the technology at its base at the EuroWay Industrial Estate in Blagrove.

It says it could help the environment by reducing the amount of waste created by discarded tablet packets.

Wasdell group chairman Martin Tedham said: “A blister pack that maintains the integrity of the pills or food supplements it protects, yet is able to bio-degrade rapidly after use, has been the Holy Grail of the pharmaceutical and nutritional industries for many years.

“The healthcare, nutritional and pharmaceutical industries are very mindful of the fact that there is a need to reduce the use of plastics that may take many years to degrade, but their challenge has been to find a material that will maintain the quality and shelf-life of their pills.”

Mr Tedham said the global threat of non-degradable plastics has made the search for a solution even more pressing, as drug manufacturers, governments and consumers become more conscious of the long-term detrimental effects that waste plastic is having on the environment.

“We have been working on this development in collaboration with specialist suppliers from the US and Asia, and are delighted that the trials have demonstrated that the additive in the blister packs has rendered them almost entirely biodegradable,” he added.

“This will mean that in the future, patients and customers will be confident knowing that their use of blister packs, which are an essential packaging format for a huge range of pills and

supplements globally, is not having a detrimental effect on the

planet.”

The company sparked anger after submitting plans to build a new headquarters and has asked for outline permission for a second phase of a science park, hoping to attract high technology companies to the area.

The proposed 40-hectare site sits between the A419 next to the Commonhead Roundabout and is looked down on by Wanborough.

Villagers are opposing the site on the grounds that it sits within AONB, the North Wessex Downs, the size of the development – which they say is as big as the village itself – and the increase in traffic as a result of the pharmaceutical company’s operations.

The proposal includes a 33,000sq m and 14.5m 47.5ft high warehouse and distribution facility.

Futurer phases for the science park element will have to be approved later, causing anxiety among villagers who feel it will remain a warehousing facility which will only open it up to more industrial buildings.

Wasdell employs around 650 people in Swindon at the Blagrove warehouse but says it is looking to double the number of employees by 2021 if the plans go head.

The firm supplies to the pharmaceutical, medical and healthcare industries says the new blister pack solution it has developed can be supplied at no extra cost to customers.

The breakthrough came after years of rigorous scientific tests and trials which saw the company use a unique additive that can break down a plastic known as PVC/DC.

Trials have shown that the treated film is able to bio-degrade in landfill, aerobic digestion systems and aerobic facilities.

The blister packs also contain compostable laminated paper, similar to that used for some perishable food products, making the entire product biodegradable.