Biodegradable plastic truck liners for Ontario deadstock disposal

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Disease outbreaks on animal farms can lead to emergency culls that require special handling of carcasses. Special truck liners, called biobags, are used for transportation and disposal to the designated landfill locations. These biobags are currently made from polyethylene (petro-based plastic) and are not biodegradable. They are sourced outside of Canada, at cost of $120/bag. The need in a potential disease outbreak for hog carcasses is estimated at 500 truckloads per week for up to 6 months (total 12,000 biobags). The proposed project will focus on developing cost-effective, biodegradable plastic sheet for biobags to substitute polyethylene. The biobag sheet needs to meet the required properties (puncture resistance, leak protection, biodegradability) and be black in colour. The new film material will be manufactured locally using sustainable biobased resources. Biodegradability is essential to reduce plastic waste in landfills and is aligned with Government of Canada's goals of replacing single-use plastics.