UBC postdoctoral fellow Dr. Yeling Zhu shows samples of the biodegradable foam. (Credit: Lou Bosshart/UBC
Researchers at the University of British Columbia (UBC) and Wet’suwet’en First Nation teamed up and developed a new biodegradable packing foam addressing the world’s plastic pollution crisis but also serving as a model partnership example of working with First Nations, located near Burns Lake, B.C. The innovative material is created by transforming wood waste into a pollutant-free and biodegradable bio-foam, which starts breaking down in the soil within a few weeks. The project also helps repurpose wood waste that is often left behind after trees are harvested. “Less than 50 per cent of harvested trees are used in the wood industries—the rest is left behind in the forest, serving as potential fuel for devastating wildfires.” says Dr. Jiang, one of the researchers at UBC.
BC scientists, First Nation design decomposing "biofoam" packaging
