Scientists make breakthrough that could revolutionize what happens to common waste: 'Promising'

Recycling is often promoted as a fix for the world's plastic problem. 

However, according to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, 91% of plastic does not get recycled. 

Instead, plastics are often burned for energy, downcycled into weaker materials, or sent to landfills, according to one study published in the journal Sustainable Production and Consumption. 

To combat that statistic, researchers at Tokyo Metropolitan University have developed a promising process that uses a common, low-cost iron catalyst and alcohol to break down plastic bottles and textile waste almost entirely into their original chemical building blocks. 

According to Britannica, polyethylene terephthalate (commonly known as PET) is a clear, strong, lightweight resin of the polyester family, and it is widely used in beverage bottles, food containers, and textile fibers. 

The Environmental Protection Agency reported that PET bottles and jars were recycled at a rate of almost 30% in 2018, and, overall, PET is the most widely recycled plastic.   

The researchers' approach depolymerizes PET, which means it cuts the "ester" bonds that hold the polyester together, according to Eureka.org. This turns the waste back into chemical ingredients that can be used to create new plastics.

While this is a large discovery that could lead to better waste management, critics say that chemical recycling is often used to justify more plastic production rather than truly reduce plastic at the source. 

Judith Enck, president of Beyond Plastics, told DeSmog that, in practice, "very little new plastic is actually created," during advanced recycling.

This new iron-catalyst technology uses abundant iron, no harsh acids or bases, and delivers almost complete conversion under moderate conditions. As the study's researchers noted, "The result clearly demonstrates a promising applicability of this catalysis."

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This method could make chemical recycling cheaper by using a lower-cost catalyst and avoiding harsh chemicals and high energy demands. 

Ultimately, lower-cost recycling could encourage communities and companies to choose more affordable recycled materials and reduce waste.

At scale, this recycling process could make recycling easier for consumers and cheaper for manufacturers, and it could reduce the amount of plastic that ends up in landfills, waterways, and food.

Innovations like this one may support a greener future, but the most reliable way to protect human health and keep plastic out of our environment is to make and use less of it in the first place.

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