Plastic

Advances in chemistry continue to bring new materials into the realm of recyclability, and new work from a research team at the University of Michigan has taken aim at one of the most problematic to reuse.

Scientists at Stanford University have analyzed microplastic concentrations and the foraging habits of whales off the coast of California, and found that blue whales take in an estimated 10 million pieces of plastic each day.

A new report has looked at activity at a broad range of recycling facilities across the US and found that the vast majority of plastic waste generated by households wound up in landfill, with less than 5% actually recycled.

Plastics can be hard, plastics can be soft, but can plastics be both at the same time? Scientists have been exploring this question and produced a first-of-a-kind material that is pliable in some sections and stiff in others.

Plastic waste is one of the most pressing environmental problems of our time. Now, engineers at MIT have developed an effective new catalyst that breaks down mixed plastics into propane, which can then be burned as fuel or used to make new plastic.

Scientists continue to unearth enzymes that can eat away plastic materials with high efficiency, and a team in Spain has just discovered more in the saliva of wax worms, which have the ability to degrade plastic bags in hours at room temperature.

In a bid to reduce the environmental burden associated with both the manufacturing and disposal of plastics, scientists have demonstrated a new upcycling technique that turns one common form of it into another.

While many companies claim that their products contain recycled (as opposed to 100% virgin) plastic, how can we know if they're telling the truth? According to a new study, a fluorescent molecule could blow the whistle on manufacturers who are lying.

The Ocean Cleanup has a huge task on its hands in ridding the seas of plastic waste, but a new video offers a compelling look at its latest plan of attack, portraying massive trash-collection barriers sweeping through the seas with great efficiency.

Engineers at UIC have developed a device that can efficiently convert captured carbon dioxide into ethylene, a plastic precursor material. When run using renewable energy, the technique could make for net negative emissions in plastic production.

Scientists have turned plastic into diamonds. Using high-powered lasers, the team zapped samples of common PET plastic, which produces intense heat and pressure to form tiny diamonds that may naturally rain down on planets like Uranus and Neptune.

Old electronics are tricky to recycle, meaning they clog up landfills while locking valuable metals away. Now scientists have demonstrated printed circuits that can be degraded on demand, returning their materials to reusable forms.