A hybrid recycling process for mixed plastics

We produce hundreds of millions of tonnes of plastic waste annually. Recycling is a commonly cited way that most of us can contribute to reducing plastic pollution, however the mix of plastics that enter the recycling chain require costly and energy-intensive sorting before they are able to be recycled. Chemists have increasingly begun to work alongside biology, across an array of research areas. When it comes to plastic pollution in particular, this practice of working at the interface between chemisty and biology has led to a discovery that avoids having to sort our plastic waste and still successfully recycle mixed plastics into useful products. Find out more and download a starter slide for ages 14–16 to give a new context for the study of plastics and recycling.