If solved
Closed Plastic Cycle
All plastic is collected and turned back into new, equal-quality plastic, with no waste leaking into the environment.
Open in the interactive tree →If catalysts and processes can break any plastic mixture into its building blocks economically, plastic becomes a reusable material rather than waste. That needs both the chemistry and a policy framework that makes recycled material cheaper than new.
What it brings
- Near-zero plastic waste
- Less crude oil used for plastics
- Cleaner oceans and soils
Prerequisites
- Green Chemistry1998A closed plastic cycle needs green-chemistry design
- Truly Circular Plastic Recyclingopen
More in Chemistry & Materials · If Solved
- Materials Made to Order2040s?
- Sunlight to Fuel2040s?
- Lossless Power Grids2050s?