Seeing plastic trash while hiking inspired a Rutgers chemist to rethink why synthetic plastics last forever while natural ...

Yuwei Gu conceived this idea while hiking on a park trail and noticing plastic bottles littered around.

Waste plastic is choking the Earth’s oceans and poisoning its wildlife. That’s why researchers at Purdue University are excited about a new chemical technique technique that turns waste plastic back ...

Chemists design biodegradable plastics inspired by nature, programming polymers to stay durable in use and break down safely ...

Despite the planet's growing plastic pollution crisis, petroleum-based polymers have become an integral part of modern life. They make cars and airplanes lighter and more energy efficient. They ...

Plastic waste threatens a wide range of ecosystems all over the planet. But innovative ways of making, reusing and recycling plastic are set to change our relationship with this extraordinary material ...

Plastic that behaves like a sturdy fork on your picnic table and then quietly melts back into the soil sounds like science fiction, yet chemists are now doing something close by turning ordinary milk ...

Could a simple chemistry idea end plastic pollution? Discover how scientists created programmable plastics that degrade on a ...

Some plastic waste is invisible: Shampoo, laundry detergent, and other common products often use tiny capsules made of microplastic as an ingredient. Those capsules then wash down the drain and can ...

Uranium can perform reactions that previously no one thought possible, which could transform the way industry makes bulk chemicals, polymers, and the precursors to new drugs and plastics, according to ...

I am exploring the bays and ocean around Maine’s Acadia National Park by kayak. Acadia is an area of great natural beauty, but is also home to several ports with centuries of uninterrupted use. These ...

I stood dazed in a ballroom in Orlando, Fla. It was nine years ago. I was just months on the job as Plastics News publisher. The venue? The NPE space draw. I attended plenty of trade shows. But this?