A student project to reduce plastic waste was recently chosen as the Canadian winner of the Commission for Environmental Cooperation’s (CEC) Youth Innovation Challenge.
Led by Gabriel Saunders (MBET ’20), the Decomp team received $15,000 in seed funding and the opportunity to present its project to North America’s
Gabriel Saunders, a Waterloo Master of Business, Entrepreneurship and Technology alumnus
Decomp members, who include Isabella Daneyko, a Waterloo biomedical engineering student, and Carlton Darby and Munira Lakdawala, both Waterloo chemical engineering students, developed an organic plastic waste disposal solution.
The biotechnology startup seeks to genetically engineer proprietary plastic-degrading microbes that are able to degrade plastics in weeks.
The focus of the fifth annual challenge was Climate Change and Environmental Justice Innovations for Resilient Communities. North American youth aged 18 to 30 were invited to submit innovative entrepreneurial solutions that addressed environmental challenges and created opportunities for communities in Canada, Mexico and the United States.
Other Decomp team members are Haya EL-Merheby, a Waterloo Faculty of Environment student, Isha Simon and Sayem Khaliq, Waterloo Faculty of Science students, and Cheo Bannis, a Ryerson University student.