A team of materials scientists from Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, the University of Milano-Bicocca, and Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia via Morego, all in Italy, has found a way to use keratin to ...

Scientists are turning to milk proteins, starch, and nanoclay to create biodegradable plastics that break down quickly in soil. As concerns grow about damage to the environment and potential risks to ...

Moving towards a more sustainable, eco-friendly lifestyle is something that's important to me, as I know it is for a lot of people. One way I've been trying to achieve this goal is by cutting way back ...

In a landfill, a plastic bottle can take more than a thousand years to break down. But a new process can transform polyethylene plastic in days, using bacteria to eat the waste and then turn it into a ...

Plastic pollution is poisoning the planet. Some experts suggest making plastics from more "natural" materials, but research shows those still have risks. When you purchase through links on our site, ...

At the urging of the plastics industry, the USDA is considering allowing materials such as bioplastic cups, coffee pods and compostable plastic bags into the organic compost waste stream. Farmers and ...

Researchers made a strong, flexible plastic from plant cellulose that breaks down quickly in natural environments, unlike ...

It’s hard to imagine a time before traditional plastics became commonplace for many single-use food packaging and food-contact applications. It’s even harder to imagine a time without them using ...

Plastics make up approximately 5–12 % of global waste generation, constituting around 20–30 % of waste by weight. Alarmingly, about 60 % of plastics end up as plastic waste (PW) in the environment. 2 ...

When plastic entered the design world in the 20th century, it was hailed as a wonder material—something strong, durable, lightweight, affordable, and malleable enough to sculpt into expressive, ...

Plastic that behaves like a sturdy fork on your picnic table and then quietly melts back into the soil sounds like science ...