Plants from plastics: Bio-based polymers can be transformed into fertilizer

Plastics have taken the world by storm over the last century, finding applications in virtually every aspect of our lives. However, the rise of synthetic polymers, which form the basis of plastics, has contributed to many serious environmental issues. The worst of these is the excessive use of petrochemical compounds and the disposal of non-biodegradable materials without recycling; only 14% of all plastic waste is recycled, which hardly puts a dent in the problem.