A Solution To An Old Problem

Everyone has heard about our toxic plastic waste problem that is choking our seas and the animals and marine life that live there. So why does the materials we use so often have to be non-degradable

The supposition is that the product would not work for the purposes we have designed if it was degradable. But that thought has been challenged by young minds who are taking on that idea and providing a method to handle future pollution.

The present problem is being attacked by individuals who have provided mechanisms to gather trash and remove it from the oceans. Other groups are tackling plastic in the arteries feeding into the sea closer to home.

Once it is gathered, they must distribute the material according to recycled plans to incorporate it into products. With that kind of thinking, one senior MIT student came up with a form of plastic using fish scales that are wasted anyway and it breaks down because it is natural.

Jacqueline Prawira ,who works in the Department Of Materials Science and Engineering, is the innovative person behind this. She was highlighted on a CBS show: “The Visioneers with Zay Harding” on September 24, 2025.

She is also involved in other projects that appear practical and involve extracting minerals like Lithium. But we are focusing here on plastics and a different approach to taking care of the planet.

We need more of this kind of thinking in order to attack these issues before we end up with a problem that seems insurmountable. We have done that, inventing a substance that is useful but without considering the effect on nature and ourselves.

Perhaps this indicates a future where we can actually consider all aspects of a new substance or product before it gets out in the wild and takes over.