MIT researchers have identified how communities of ocean bacteria cooperate to decompose biodegradable plastics, a finding that could reshape how scientists and manufacturers think about the fate of ...

Biodegradable plastics don’t break down on their own. Researchers found ocean microbes play a key role, and results can vary widely.

Plastic is an essential material in the modern world, but it's also environmentally costly to produce and a major pollutant. A material called pyridinedicarboxylic acid, or PDCA, could help address at ...

In a landfill, a plastic bottle can take more than a thousand years to break down. But a new process can transform polyethylene plastic in days, using bacteria to eat the waste and then turn it into a ...

A Japanese research team has created a plastic that breaks down in seawater, leaving no microplastics or toxins—just safe, natural elements. (CREDIT: 2025 RIKEN) Plastics are everywhere—from your ...

Scientists have found a way to convert discarded shrimp shells into dense, plastic-like films and objects, a development that could redirect tons of seafood industry waste into a viable substitute for ...

Polystyrene is made from styrene building blocks and is the most widely used plastic in terms of volume, for example in packaging. Unlike PET, which can now be produced and recycled using ...

Plastic pollution is one of the most defining environmental challenges of our time. Despite efforts to recycle or responsibly dispose of plastic, vast garbage patches in the oceans continue to grow, ...

A new study published in Frontiers of Agricultural Science and Engineering has compared the impacts of traditional and biodegradable microplastics on pea growth and soil health. The research shows ...

Plastics make up approximately 5–12 % of global waste generation, constituting around 20–30 % of waste by weight. Alarmingly, about 60 % of plastics end up as plastic waste (PW) in the environment. 2 ...

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — It is Carnival season in New Orleans. That means gazillions of green, gold and purple Mardi Gras beads. Once made of glass and cherished by parade spectators who were lucky enough ...