Joseph Boctor is a PhD researcher at Murdoch University’s Bioplastics Innovation Hub and a passionate advocate for sustainable environmental solutions. Originally from Egypt, Joseph’s work is driven by a personal mission to address the growing plastic pollution crisis in the Nile River and other regions where waste management and recycling systems are underdeveloped or ineffective.

At the Bioplastics Innovation Hub — a collaborative initiative between Murdoch University, CSIRO, Australia’s national science agency, and industry partners — Joseph’s research focuses on developing innovative ways to break down plastics in environments where traditional approaches fall short. With expertise in chemical sciences and biotechnology, he’s helping pioneer next-generation strategies for plastic degradation and sustainable materials.

Together with the team at the Hub, Joseph is contributing to Australia’s efforts to rethink the plastic lifecycle, to create a cleaner, more resilient future for ecosystems around the world.

In this episode, we discuss:

• Joseph’s background and what sparked his passion for tackling plastic pollution
• The shocking scale of plastic waste in the Nile River and its broader implications
• The two sides to the plastic problem—beginning and end of life strategies
• His lead authorship on the paper “Microplastics and nanoplastics: fate, transport, and governance from agricultural soil to food webs and humans”
• Why micro- and nanoplastics are so concerning, and how their size makes them nearly impossible to escape
• From soil to salad: How micro and nanoplastics enter agricultural soils and what that could mean for our health
• The urgent need for regulation and standardised risk assessments of plastics in food webs
• Packaging solutions that don’t leave a legacy: The groundbreaking work of the Bioplastics Innovation Hub
• Australia’s love affair with plastic, and the alarming statistics behind our consumption
• Joseph’s lead authorship on the review “Nature’s Plastic Predators: A Comprehensive and Bibliometric Review of Plastivore Insects”
• The intriguing insects that can feed on plastics—and how they could revolutionise waste management
• The Hub’s Smart Sprays Project and its potential to transform the agricultural industry
• Practical steps we can take as consumers to reduce our plastic footprint and avoid contamination

To view all the links to the websites and documents, visit the show notes on our website.

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