Plastic is everywhere. It wraps our food, cushions our sneakers, and fills our closets, yet the same toughness that makes it useful also makes it almost impossible to get rid of.
Every year, factories churn out hundreds of millions of tons of plastic, and a large share of it ends up polluting rivers, oceans, and even the water and air we depend on. Now, two teams of scientists in China have found a surprising way to turn plastic waste into jet fuel.
This gallery explains how plastic became so essential, why it turned into a global problem, and how this new chemistry might help clean it up. Click on to learn more.