Learn about the seven types of plastic, including their recyclability, toxicity, health risks, and common uses.

Here's how the seven types of plastics fare in the recycling process

To help you make better-informed decisions about the products that you buy, here's a simple explanation of the seven different types of plastic, how they differ, and their impact on the environment.

The history of natural and synthetic plastics

From cheap toys to woolly jumpers, plastic can be found in more products than many people realize. From a chemist's perspective all these things are made of the same class of materials: Polymers. And the distinction between which ones we happen to call "plastics" and which ones we don't is fairly arbitrary.

A guide to avoiding single-use plastics

Here’s everything you need to know about the most ubiquitous (and avoidable) kind of plastic waste: single-use plastics, the kind made to be tossed in mere minutes

BPA-free plastics often contain other harmful 'forever chemicals'

These molecules are widely used in single-use plastics, may leach into food, resist breakdown, and can build up in the human body. They have been linked to obesity, heart disease, and neurological issues, particularly when heated.

A step-by-step guide to the plastic recycling process

Everything you wanted to know about how plastic is recycled, the companies that collect and recycle plastic, where you can recycle, and much more.

What percentage of the world’s plastic waste actually gets recycled?

Despite growing awareness of the world’s plastic waste challenges, the numbers showing how much of the world’s plastic waste actually gets recycled are abysmal. Only 9% of the world’s plastic waste is properly recycled, and a significant portion remains landfilled, mismanaged, or incinerated. Read this article for further analysis of why this is and what can be done in the future to better manage plastic waste.

How existing technology could prevent nearly 80% of plastic pollution

More than 28 million tons of plastic enters the environment each year, where it harms animals and damages habitats. A study co-authored by researchers at The Pew Charitable Trusts found that this flow can be reduced by nearly 80% in the next 20 years using existing waste management and recycling technology.

The global plastic crisis in images

For decades we have relied on plastics to keep us safe, insulate our homes, and make sure our food stays fresh. But when does plastic’s life come to an end?

How plastic manufacturing could be sustainable again

From polymers to nurdles, learn how plastic is created and what we can do to slow the lasting repercussions this material will have on both our planet and our lives.

Watch how plastic products are molded from pellets that began as crude oil

Polyethylene and other plastics are formed by combining ethylene and propylene, which are produced through refining crude oil. These plastics are broken down into pellets called nurdles, or mermaid tears, which are melted and molded to manufacture countless products.

Most biodegradable plastics don’t break down in everyday conditions

Despite their eco-friendly name, biodegradable plastics often require industrial composting, which most areas lack, to decompose the uncommon compounds found in them. This means they may linger in landfills or contaminate conventional plastics in recycling bins.

Explore the UN’s interactive guide to global plastic pollution

Around the world, 1 million plastic drinking bottles are purchased every minute, while 500 billion single-use plastic bags are used worldwide every year. In total, half of all plastic produced is designed to be used only once—and then thrown away.

A guide to single-use plastic bans across the US

Over 100 cities and municipalities in the US have banned Expanded Polystyrene (EPS) in government facilities including New York City, Los Angeles, Seattle, San Diego and Miami Beach, Florida. Here, maps illustrate what US states have bans in place.

Why the bioremediation of plastic and other synthetic materials is challenging

Ideonella sakaiensis, a bacterium found in recycling plant sludge in 2016, was the first organism seen to possess enzymes that could break down PET, a type of plastic. Researchers continue to search for microbes to expand bioremediation efforts to other types of plastic, but weakening the chemical bonds in many of these materials requires temperatures lethal to most microbes.

How disruptions in oil markets can drive up the price of everyday goods

Most types of plastic are made from polymers derived from chemicals produced by the processing and refining of crude oil and natural gas. Spikes in the cost of either fossil fuel raise the cost of wrappings, tubs, and other plastic containers for products.

The plastics industry spent decades promoting recycling while privately doubting it would ever work

This FRONTLINE investigation reveals that plastic makers publicly championed recycling for years despite internal doubts about its viability, and that no more than 10% of the plastic ever produced has been recycled.

The amount of plastic chemicals in 300 everyday Bay Area foods

Food production is more complicated than it appears, and manufacturing, packaging, and shipping processes can add significant substances to your food. This massive project compiled data on 300 samples of foods delivered to the San Francisco area, testing for the presence of 18 different kind of plastic. Learn how to read the data here with its helpful guides and then explore the table yourself.

Where the US’s plastic recycling is discarded

The US ships over a million tons of plastic waste overseas each year. A short video explainer from USA Today shows a breakdown of what really happens to America's recyclables.

The prevalence of microplastics came from plastic’s affordability and versatility

Microplastics' durability and overuse have led to massive pollution that overwhelms the planet's ecosystems. Avian, terrestrial, and marine life have been observed to contain microplastics in their bodies, but reverting to paper, cotton, and other materials in manufacturing also brings environmental challenges.

The most common type of 3D printer fabricates objects using plastic

At the consumer level, the most common printing method is fused deposition modeling, which builds objects by melting an extruding thermoplastic filament that is deposited in layers. For industrial applications, selective laser sintering, which uses a laser to fuse particles of polymer powder (e.g., nylon), is preferred.

How chemical recycling could create 'infinite' plastic

The way we normally recycle plastics is a downward spiral of waste and degraded materials, but there is another option—turning plastic back into the oil it was made from.

How billiard balls catalyzed the 'Plastics Century'

For centuries, billiard balls were made of ivory from elephant tusks. But when excessive hunting caused elephant populations to decline, they began to look for alternatives: celluloid, which would become known as the first plastic.

The five most common chemicals found in modern food

Most modern processed foods rely on a number of preservatives to stay fresh from production to our plates. The most common include citric acid (preservative and flavor), sodium benzoate (preservative), xanthan gum (thickening and stabilizing), carrageenan (thickening), and red dyes 3 and 4 (for color).

View a sample of objects surprisingly derived from crude oil, including chewing gum and lipstick

Crude oil processing produces a variety of fuels and the building blocks for plastics, but it also distills out the hydrocarbons used to make aspirin, Teflon, vinyl, crayons, candles, Tupperware, roofing shingles, asphalt pavement, hair dye, anesthetics, food-grade lubricants, polyester, synthetic rubber, and resins for items like dentures.

Japanese scientists have developed an eco-friendly plastic that naturally dissolves in hours, leaving behind molecules containing phosphorus and nitrogen, which fertilize soil.

After swallowing 23 pieces of plastic, seabirds experience a 90% death rate

Researchers found that this threshold is also met when marine mammals ingest 29 pieces and when sea turtles consume approximately 405 pieces. Almost half of the sea turtles, a third of the seabirds, and one in ten of the marine mammals studied had eaten plastic.

Microplastics 101: What we know about the contaminants invading our bodies

Fifty-one trillion particles of microplastics float in our oceans. Yet there is very little science of how this affects our health. This quick 2-minute video explains the dangers of microplastics.

Synthetic textiles and tires are the top sources of secondary ocean microplastics

These sources contribute more than 60% of the primary microplastics polluting the oceans, followed by city dust and road markings. City dust is made of pieces of building coatings, synthetic footwear, and other human-made objects that have broken off due to weathering and abrasion.

Shrink-wrap is created through a treatment of plastic with high-speed electrons

Atoms in polyethylene are bonded in long strings called polymer chains, which can be destabilized by removing hydrogen atoms via collisions with electrons. These gaps serve as bonding sites for neighboring chains to bond and undergo cross-linking, strengthening the plastic while making it more malleable.

How to safely dispose of every kind of battery

As lithium-ion batteries have proliferated in phones, e-bikes, power tools, and dozens of other devices, improper disposal has become a leading cause of fires in recycling facilities and garbage trucks. Battery Safety Now partnered with the US Forest Service's Woodsy Owl campaign to provide guidance on how to recycle batteries by type, including locator tools for drop-off sites.

Plastic debris across the ocean aids the spread of invasive species

The durable, long-lasting material can serve as a platform for living organisms to latch onto and ride over vast distances. After the 2011 earthquake and tsunami in Japan, a large dock carrying 100 tons of living organisms native to Japan washed up on Oregon's coastline, confirming the ecological threat.

Stainless steel and cast-iron pans should be used over older nonstick cookware

Although modern nonstick pans avoid forever chemicals like PFOA, they were previously used in the manufacturing of Teflon coatings and have been linked with certain types of cancer, infertility, and other adverse health outcomes. Vintage plastic utensils should also be avoided due to the leeching of contaminants in early formulations of plastic.

Fiberglass and epoxy resin on blades complicate the recycling of wind turbines

Between 85 and 95% of a turbine's materials—except for the blades—can be recycled. Blades have been left in landfills when not repurposed into playgrounds and sheds, but new processes may allow them to be made into pellets for injection plastics and concrete.

Learn how humans can protect coral reefs

When diving and snorkeling in environments containing reefs, avoid touching reefs, anchoring on them, or using sunscreen with active ingredients harmful to marine life. Properly recycling and disposing of trash in bins helps reduce microplastics and chemicals that can run off into wastewater and into the oceans.

Why it's so hard to end the use of toxic lead

Lead was one of the earliest metals mined on Earth, desired for its soft malleability and used in cosmetics, pipework, gasoline, and more. But even though researchers demonstrated its toxicity in the 20th century, much of the world still uses it.

Breaking down the different types of drinking water, from alkaline to sparkling

While tap water is regulated by the EPA, environmental and infrastructural factors can introduce contaminants, which filtering can help to remove. Distilled water has had all of its mineral contaminants removed and may be used in laboratory settings, but mineral water has them added in for taste or to promote health.

Alternative investments can be sorted into seven major categories, according to some experts

These categories include real estate, private equity, private debt, hedge funds, collectibles, and more.

Gold's electrical conductivity, reflectivity, and catalytic capabilities make it scientifically valuable

Although gold has been prized since its use in 40,000 BCE for decorative purposes, it has more recently served as a replacement for mercury in the production of PVC plastic. Because gold does not react with air or corrode, it has remained in circulation and reused in electronics and biomaterials.

Cardboard thieves are making millions

The global market for recycled cardboard is worth billions of dollars—and it's attracting criminals. Specifically, people are making a fortune from taking used cardboard that's been left outside to be recycled, then proceeding to sell it. As a result, legitimate recycling firms and local authorities are missing out on millions. Learn more here.

There may be 74,963 kinds of ice, resulting from water molecules rearranging themselves

The theoretical limit greatly expands the known types of ice, with type Iₕ being the most common on Earth and forming hexagonal crystals. The extreme environments of planets like Uranus and Neptune can create a variety of ice with unique structures and properties, as these conditions can reshape these crystals into new geometries.

View the five most expensive metals used to make batteries

Before 2021, when lithium carbonate became the most expensive metal for use in electric vehicle cathodes, cobalt was the most costly battery metal. Of the top five, copper is the only metal not used in cathodes, arguably the most important part of the battery, which determines performance, longevity, and range.

Carbon dioxide is the most produced greenhouse gas from human activities

In 2022, about 79.7% of US greenhouse gas emissions were carbon dioxide, produced through chemical reactions in processes such as cement production and the burning of fossil fuels, solid waste, trees, and other biological materials. Methane (11.1%), nitrous oxide (6.1%), fluorinated gases (3.1%), and trace amounts of solid and liquid aerosol were also created.

The most common types of bankruptcy filings are Chapter 7, Chapter 11, and Chapter 13

However, there are actually six types in practice today. These less-common options can be lifelines for foreign businesses operating in the US, local governments, and farms and fisheries.

The weakest form of light that is dangerous to humans is ultraviolet

Unlike radio waves, microwave, infrared, and visible light, UV light can produce chemical changes, such as curing adhesives and resins, causing substances to fluoresce, and destroying the genetic material of microorganisms. This makes UV light useful for sterilization, forensics, and quickly drying nail polish.

Old credit cards can be made into guitar picks, phone stands and more

Experts recommend always cutting through the chip and the card number when disposing of expired credit cards, as the magnetic strip, the chip, and the card number all contain information that thieves might be interested in.

There are three types of stem cells, each with different properties

Embryonic stem cells are "blank slates" that can change into any other type of cell. Adult stem cells can become specialized cells to replenish the supply or repair injury, while induced pluripotent cells are "reset" by scientists and used in clinical and medical applications.

How hearing protection became cool

In recent years, the WHO shared research findings that over 1 billion teens and young people face risks of hearing loss due to unsafe listening practices. While earplugs used to hold a reputation for being uncool, this article explores how awareness has led to more people fashioning different types of hearing protection. Explore the growing trend of earplugs at raves, concerts, and other loud events.

Frisbee, Jet Ski, and Dumpster—explore a list of words you might not realize are trademarked

Many products that have become household names started out as first-of-a-kind items. As those products grew in popularity, the brand name became the default name for the product.

The Coca-Cola bottle was designed to be recognizable even when shattered

The contour bottle, which was designed and patented to prevent copycats in its distributed bottling system in 1915, would soon become one of the most identifiable shapes in commercial culture. The designers also made sure it could be easily identified even in the dark.

Cutting mold off your food does not make it safe to eat

Mold is a type of fungus, but not all fungi are molds. This video explains the value of mold, mold anatomy, health concerns around encountering and eating mold, and why mold is found all around us.