Plastic

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.

Polystyrene is a problematic material when it comes to recycling, but a team of Virginia Tech researchers is hoping to change this with a novel method that turns it into a product of relatively high value.

Tiny fragments of plastic are now strewn across the entire globe and are beginning to show up in different parts of the human body. But what are the health risks associated with ingesting and inhaling this now omnipresent synthetic material?

Scientists experimenting with next-generation plastics at Finland's University of Turku have developed a self-healing form of the material with some impressive capabilities, most notably an ability to quickly break down after use.

Researchers have found strong evidence exposure to a common group of household chemicals can be associated with 13 different health conditions. The related economic costs have been estimated at between US$5 billion and $60 billion annually in the US.

Microplastics are a major environmental problem, but a new study could help cut out a decent chunk of them. Silk could be a biodegradable replacement for microbeads and particles that are often added to cosmetics, paints and other products.

Scientists studying plastic pollution in the UK have turned their eye to small land mammals and found traces of the material in more than half the species sampled, with a seemingly equal distribution across locations and even dietary habits.

Scientists have come up with a novel cleanup solution for microplastic pollution that takes its cues from nature, in the form of a fish-like robot that can move through the water and soak up small plastic fragments as it goes.