Research Proposal Presentation Title

Can Bioplastic Help Toronto Pursue Sustainability Goals by Minimizing PPE Plastic Pollution?

Student researchers

Catherine Zhang, Puyuan Zheng, Jiahang Zou, Hongli Zhang

What is your research question?

Can Bioplastic Help Toronto Pursue Sustainability Goals by Minimizing PPE Plastic Pollution?

Research proposal keywords or concepts

Plastic pollution in Toronto; Bioplastics; Sustainable development in Toronto

How would you summarize your proposed research idea?

The plastic pollution problem in Toronto has affected the appearance of the city and the lives of urban residents during the epidemic last year. Therefore, our research is to explore the causes of plastic pollution in Toronto and think about how to solve the plastic pollution in Toronto through the degradation of bioplastics.

Where is the literature gap and how does your proposed research attempt to fill that gap?

In our literature, Toronto faces a crisis regarding plastic pollution. And a feasible solution is to replace traditional plastics with bioplastics that are more easily degraded by nature. However, whether its high cost will affect people's economy and happiness index is worth exploring. Therefore, our interview about exploring people's attitudes towards bioplastics can prove whether bioplastics meet Toronto's sustainable development.

Why is this gap worthy of research?

It is easy for the government to implement a policy. But for residents, they may have to pay more taxes and money to buy bioplastic products. In other words, whether bioplastics can maintain the balance between the economy and the environment to achieve sustainable development in Toronto is important.This research presents the need for and barriers to plastic pollution in Toronto and suggests its subsequent environmental management.

What future change could this research possibly contribute to, related to sustainability?

This research presents the need for and barriers to plastic pollution in Toronto and suggests its subsequent environmental management.
It can promote technological improvements of plastic use, which can contribute to environmental sustainabilit
It can help people think about the impact of plastics and raise environmental awareness.

What made your group interested in and/or what excites you about your proposed topic?

During the epidemic, as people demanded PPE products, more and more PPE was abandoned. The most serious thing is that people lack the awareness of garbage classification in the face of this new essential daily necessities. This has caused serious damage to the environment and ecology. Even if most people in Canada have been vaccinated with two doses, there is no guarantee that they will be 100% protected against the new coronavirus. Thus, the best protection is to continue wearing a medical mask after the vaccine. The best way is to let people to know how to discard PPE.

References

1. Ammendolia, J., Saturno, J., Brooks, A. L., Jacobs, S., & Jambeck, J. R. (2021). An

emerging source of plastic pollution: environmental presence of plastic personal protective

equipment (PPE) debris related to COVID-19 in a metropolitan city. Environmental

Pollution, 269, 116160.

2. Qi, R., Jones, D. L., Li, Z., Liu, Q., & Yan, C. (2020). Behavior of microplastics and plastic

film residues in the soil environment: A critical review. Science of the Total Environment,

703, 134722.

3. Zhang, C., Wang, C., Cao, G., Wang, D., & Ho, S. H. (2020). A sustainable solution to

plastics pollution: An eco-friendly bioplastic film production from high-salt contained

Spirulina sp. residues. Journal of hazardous materials, 388, 121773.

4. DeMerlis, C. C., & Schoneker, D. R. (2003). Review of the oral toxicity of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA). Food and chemical Toxicology, 41(3), 319-326.

5. How can i easily identify a plastic? (n.d.). Retrieved March 22, 2021, from https://www.twi

global.com/technical-knowledge/faqs/faq-how-can-i-easily-identify-a-plastic