Smash, crack, repeat: Mechanical recycling could finally tame stubborn PET waste
Sometimes, all it takes to break the unbreakable is a good hit.
Scientists have discovered a cleaner, faster way to recycle one of the world’s most stubborn plastics, not with heat or chemicals, but with sheer mechanical force.
Polyethylene terephthalate (PET), a key material in bottles, packaging, and clothing fibers, is notoriously difficult to recycle because of its strong molecular bonds.
