BRIGHTNEWSDAILY
Get the morning letter
only the good news, every day
Edition #80 · Friday, July 10, 2026 · 2566 positive stories
Science & Breakthroughs

New catalyst could make mixed plastic waste recyclable in one chemical step

Phys.org Latest Thu, 09 Ju
New catalyst could make mixed plastic waste recyclable in one chemical step

Ever wondered where your plastics end up? A PET bottle can be washed, shredded, melted and given a second life. But most everyday items-toys, mattresses, car seats-are made from different plastics that refuse to mix when melted, producing unusable, contaminated material. Sorting is difficult and expensive, so most mixed plastic waste ends up burned or buried, and the materials are lost for good.

Read the full story
Phys.org Latest
Read at Phys.org Latest →
About Science & Breakthroughs coverage

The science section covers breakthroughs in medicine, physics, biology, and technology. We surface discoveries that expand what humanity can do, from new treatments reaching clinical trials to engineering feats that seemed impossible a decade ago. Every link goes to the original publisher so you can read the full study or press release yourself.

More Science & Breakthroughs stories
Optimist Daily
How environmental DNA turned river water into a global wildlife census

There’s something almost absurd about how we’ve always measured wildlife. Two trained ecologists visit the same river, s…

7 simple rituals that help you feel like yourself again
Optimist Daily
7 simple rituals that help you feel like yourself again

BY THE OPTIMIST DAILY EDITORIAL TEAM There’s a specific kind of “off” that’s difficult to capture or express in words. N…

Where Venezuela’s Earthquakes Shifted the Ground
NASA Breaking News
Where Venezuela’s Earthquakes Shifted the Ground

Earth Observatory Science Earth Observatory Where Venezuela’s… Earth Earth Observatory Image of the Day EO Explorer Topi…

NASA Sets Coverage for Astronaut Anil Menon Launch to Space Station
NASA Breaking News
NASA Sets Coverage for Astronaut Anil Menon Launch to Space Station

NASA astronaut Anil Menon and Roscosmos cosmonauts Pyotr Dubrov and Anna Kikina, Soyuz MS-29 prime crew members, pose fo…

Browse all Science & Breakthroughs stories →