NAIT partners up with oil and gas company with aim to reduce plastic waste

NAIT and Inter Pipeline have entered a $10-million partnership with an aim to reduce plastic waste in Canada. Nov. 26, 2019. (Jay Rosove/CTV News Edmonton)

EDMONTON -- The Northern Alberta Institute of Technology (NAIT) is partnering with an Alberta oil and gas company to develop new ways to reuse and recycle plastic in Canada.

NAIT engineering, automation and environmental researchers and students will collaborate with Inter Pipeline on the Plastics Research in Action project.

"Together we’ll undertake projects that could lead to the evolution of a more circular economy for plastics. We will strive to develop concepts to drive the re-use and recycling of plastics in Canada and hopefully around the globe," said President and Chief Executive Officer of Inter Pipeline, Chris Bayle, during the official announcement Tuesday morning.

NAIT and Inter Pipeline hope their research will lead to innovations that help Canadians reuse and remanufacture plastics, create new economic benefits and benefit the environment.

"The partnership with Inter Pipeline enables NAIT to work in an area that’s increasingly impacting our world," said NAIT President and Chief Executive Officer, Glenn Feltham.

The 10-year partnership comes with a $10-million commitment from Inter Pipeline, the largest applied research partnership in NAIT’s history.

A portion of the funding will also go toward improving sustainable practices at Inter Pipeline’s Heartland Petrochemical Complex.