plastics

  • Yikes: Biodegradable Plastic Doesn’t Actually Break Down in the Ocean

    Yikes: Biodegradable Plastic Doesn’t Actually Break Down in the Ocean

    It’s tempting to think of purchasing plastic cups labelled as compostable or using plastic cutlery made of biodegradable materials as a better choice for the environment — but there are a lot of complexities at play. A study published Wednesday in PLOS ONE demonstrates how a popular bioplastic advertised as biodegradable does not actually break…


  • Would You Eat a Windmill? These Scientists Hope So.

    Would You Eat a Windmill? These Scientists Hope So.

    Despite being an excellent source of renewable energy, wind turbines, like most manufactured products, eventually need to be disposed of, for one reason or another. That poses an obviously large problem given their size, but researchers at Michigan State University are working on a novel solution: a newly developed material for making turbines that can…


  • Which Plastics Are the Least Recyclable?

    Which Plastics Are the Least Recyclable?

    Pick up any plastic item in your home, and there’s a good chance you’ll see a familiar symbol of three looping arrows, the universal sign for recycling. The numbers inside the arrows represent resin identification codes, a classification created by the industry to denote different kinds of plastics. It’s a symbol commonly associated with environmentalism,…


  • Your 3D Printer Can Finally Make Biodegradable Objects

    Your 3D Printer Can Finally Make Biodegradable Objects

    A Czech 3D printing company called Fillamentum has released the first ostensibly biodegradable filament, the stringy plastic used to extrude printed objects. Called NonOilen, the filament is made of a biologically based polylactic acid and polyhydroxy butyrate blend.