A bacterium that degrades and assimilates poly(ethylene terephthalate)

Related solutions

• Research

  Evaluating scenarios toward zero plastic pollution

  Lau, W. et al. (Pew Charitable Trusts and SYSTEMIQ) | Science | 2020

  Modelled every major intervention together and found that combining reduction, substitution, better collection and recycling could cut plastic flows to the ocean by about 80 percent by 2040. The basis of the report “Breaking the Plastic Wave”.

  Policy and advocacyResearch and science
• Technology

  Deposit return systems and reverse vending

  Proven at national scale

  A small refundable deposit on drink containers, collected back through machines or shops, routinely returns more than 90 percent of bottles and cans.

  Collection and recyclingPolicy and advocacy
• Technology

  Pyrolysis and other chemical recycling

  Mixed record

  Heats mixed plastic without oxygen to make oils. Promoted as a fix for hard-to-recycle plastic, but its benefits are strongly debated.

  Collection and recyclingResearch and science
• Technology

  Open-source community recycling

  Widely used at small scale

  Small shredders, extruders and presses built from free plans let schools, makerspaces and villages recycle plastic into products locally.

  Collection and recyclingEducation and community