Quantcast
Channel: University of Cambridge - Latest news
Viewing all articles
Browse latest Browse all 4346

Plastic: the new fantastic?

0
0

Plastic has become a malevolent symbol of our wasteful society. It’s also cheap, durable, flexible, waterproof, versatile, lightweight, protective and hygienic.

During the coronavirus pandemic, plastic visors, goggles, gloves and aprons have been fundamental for protecting healthcare workers from the virus. But what about the effects on the environment of throwing away huge numbers of single-use medical protection equipment? How are we to balance our need for plastic with protecting the environment?

Released on 5 June 2020, World Environment Day, this new film considers how society might ‘reset the clock’ when it comes to living better with a vital material. We hear how Cambridge University's Cambridge Creative Circular Plastics Centre (CirPlas) aims to eliminate plastic waste by combining blue-sky thinking with practical measures – from turning waste plastic into hydrogen fuel, to manufacturing more sustainable materials, to driving innovations in plastic recycling in a circular economy.

“Plastic is an example of how we must find ways to use resources without irreversibly changing the planet for future generations,” adds Professor Erwin Reisner, who leads CirPlas, which is funded by UK Research and Innovation.

Explore more:

Find further information on CirPlas

Read more about our research on plastic

Visit our spotlight on Sustainable Earth

 

On World Environment Day, hear how Cambridge researchers are working towards eliminating plastic waste and making best use of one of the most successful materials ever invented.

As a chemist I look at plastic and I see an extremely useful material that is rich in chemicals and energy – a material that shouldn’t end up in landfills and pollute the environment
Erwin Reisner
Taylor Uekert studies the transformation of plastic waste into hydrogen fuel

Creative Commons License
The text in this work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. Images, including our videos, are Copyright ©University of Cambridge and licensors/contributors as identified.  All rights reserved. We make our image and video content available in a number of ways – as here, on our main website under its Terms and conditions, and on a range of channels including social media that permit your use and sharing of our content under their respective Terms.

Yes

Viewing all articles
Browse latest Browse all 4346

Latest Images

Trending Articles





Latest Images