*What if we could turn our massive plastic problem into a clean energy solution?* A new chemical process might be able to do just that. Researchers found a way to take common, unsorted plastic waste and convert it into high-purity hydrogen. The technique runs at lower temperatures and, importantly, captures the carbon from the plastic instead of releasing it into the atmosphere. Let's be clear, this is not a free pass to keep making more plastic. The goal is still to turn off the tap. But we have mountains of existing waste with nowhere to go. A technology that can upcycle that legacy pollution into clean fuel while sequestering carbon is exactly the kind of smart, transitional science we need. It’s a practical approach to the mess we've already made. The big question is scalability, but the concept is solid.
