Reading Time: 3 minutes Eco-friendly bioplastics made from crop waste like canola meal and pulse flour could help solve the world’s petroleum-based single-use plastics problem, says researchers from the University of Guelph.

Eco-friendly bioplastics could help solve single-use plastic problem
Guelph researcher looking to create bioplastics from canola meal and pulse flour

Funding set to improve Ontario deadstock removal, disposal
Application intake open as of Sept. 21
Ontario’s livestock producers could see more and improved options for pickup and sustainable disposal of deadstock through a new federal/provincial program now on offer. The Ontario and federal governments on Thursday opened the intake for applications under what they’re calling the Increasing Deadstock Capacity Initiative, budgeted for $1.5 million over two years. The program, to […] Read more

Wastewater regulation eased for Nova Scotia on-farm processing
Nova Scotia has introduced regulatory changes that allow on-farm processing operations to better manage wastewater on their smaller scale. The changes, which took effect May 11, come at the request of the Nova Scotia Federation of Agriculture (NSFA) — which has said that owners of small farm-level processing facilities shouldn’t be treated the same as […] Read more

Starbucks to add more plant-based food in latest green push
Chicago | Reuters — Starbucks Corp. aims to add more plant-based food and drinks to its menu as part of the company’s latest plan to become more environmentally friendly, CEO Kevin Johnson said on Tuesday, prompting a surge in shares of Beyond Meat Inc. Over the past year, with the rise of companies including Beyond […] Read more

There’s now a (good) way to deal with grain bags and twine
Reading Time: 3 minutes Many landfills don’t want it and you’re not supposed to burn it — so what do you do with old grain bags and twine? That vexing question led to the creation of the Agricultural Plastics Recycling Group and, now, a $1-million, three-year pilot project that will see about 20 ag plastic recycling depots set up […] Read more

Feeding the planet is challenging, dealing with its waste is even harder
Earth is becoming an urban planet and that raises a host of issues we’ve never had to deal with before
Reading Time: 3 minutes The migration of rural persons to cities hit a historical milestone in 2008 when urban residents outnumbered those in rural areas. The result has been congestion in cities that were ill prepared for this growth and an intense pressure on rural areas to produce more food with less people. The United Nations claims six out […] Read more

Water meeting safety standards after sinkhole leak, Mosaic says
Reuters — Testing of nine wells near a sinkhole at a Mosaic Co. fertilizer facility in Florida, site of a massive leak of contaminated water, shows that water meets safe drinking standards for radioactivity and damage has not spread beyond the site, the company said. A sinkhole 45 feet in diameter and 240 feet deep […] Read more
Experts call for less waste and less meat
Kale or steak? Change in diet key to UN plan to end hunger by 2030
Rome — In trendy, hipster London or New York, it’s all about juicing, vegan diets and snacking on kale crisps. Thousands of miles away, in Nairobi or Bogota, the middle classes are more likely to reach for roasted goat or a juicy steak. Later this month, world leaders are set to endorse a U.N. goal […] Read more