LAUSR

Description Integrating oxidation and bioconversion provides a solution to recycle mixed plastics Since the early 20th century, plastics have played an ever-increasing role in human society. There is polystyrene, a spongy material widely used in protective packaging, such as styrofoam. There is polyethylene, the most produced plastic today, whose different density variants have been used in everything from plastic bags to poolside furniture. There is also polyethylene terephthalate (PET), which is the main ingredient in many synthetic fibers and water bottles. The numerous advantages offered by these nondegradable plastics, such as versatile physical properties and low manufacturing costs, have yet to be meaningfully challenged by another class of materials in the marketplace. However, the accumulative environmental cost of plastic waste is increasingly becoming an irreversible global catastrophe. On page 207 of this issue, Sullivan et al. (1) report an expansion of the toolbox for recycling plastic mixtures into other useful chemicals through a process comprising chemical oxidation and biological conversion.