garbage swimming in sea water, contamination problem

How microplastics are making their way into our farmland

Across nine provinces and 22 wastewater treatment plants, the problem was universal

Reading Time: 2 minutes Microplastic pollution is a global environmental problem that is ubiquitous in all environments, including air, water and soil. Microplastics are readily found in treated wastewater sludge, also known as municipal biosolids, that eventually make their way to our agricultural soils. Our recent investigation of microplastic levels in Canadian municipal biosolids found that a single gram […] Read more


Thilini Dissanayake working in the lab.

Creating a canola-based plastic alternative

New research turns canola protein into strong, flexible films meant for food packaging

Reading Time: 4 minutes Glacier FarmMedia – Canola growers may one day be able to add food packaging to their list of markets. New research at the University of Manitoba draws on canola meal protein as a feedstock for biodegradable food product packaging. “I think it’s a more sustainable solution to the challenges created by all the petroleum-based plastic […] Read more