We can now tell the difference between a wide range of plastic types and thereby separate plastics according to their chemical composition. This is absolutely ground-breaking and it will increase the ...

Plastic recycling symbols only tell you what type of plastic an item is made from — not that the item is recyclable. Plastics 1, 2, and 5 are typically recyclable, while 3, 4, 6, and 7 can rarely be ...

We know some microbes can break down certain plastics, but our new study finds no clear correlation between plastic pollution levels and the production of plastic-degrading enzymes by marine ...

Recycling plastics is challenging, but new technology could produce high-quality materials for car and computer components, all while helping tackle the pollution crisis. Discarded plastics, which can ...

Of all the major types of materials used today, plastics are one of the fastest-growing categories and offer the greatest opportunity for innovation. Decades of development towards improving the ...

Marine animals inevitably eat what we toss in the ocean, including pervasive plastics—but how much is too much?

Talks aimed at a global treaty to cut plastic pollution fizzled in Geneva this week, with no agreement to meaningfully reduce the harms to human health and the environment that come with the millions ...

Plastic found inside a dead black-footed albatross. Image by Dan Clark /USFWS. New research has found that even small amounts ...

Americans' use of plastic boomed during the pandemic, including mountains of single-use items such as takeout containers, plastic bags and, of course, face masks. At the same time, we're recycling ...

How Are Plastic Bottles Made? Plastics are made from oil or natural gas, which are made of molecules called hydrocarbons. When you heat hydrocarbons to very high temperatures, they break down into ...