Plastic alternatives for single-use applications (distinct from bio-based feedstocks in Problem 4 — focused on end-use substitution)

The world generates over 2 billion tons of municipal solid waste every year, and that number is growing fast. Most of it ends up in landfills or gets burned, releasing greenhouse gases and toxic chemicals into the environment.

This isn't just an environmental crisis — it's economic waste on a massive scale. We're throwing away valuable materials that could be reused, recycled, or converted into energy. Meanwhile, plastic pollution is choking our oceans, electronic waste is piling up with toxic heavy metals, and organic waste in landfills produces methane, a greenhouse gas 25 times more potent than CO2.

The current waste management system was designed for a linear economy: take, make, dispose. But we need to shift to a circular economy where materials stay in use as long as possible. That requires better technology, smarter systems, and new business models that make waste valuable instead of costly.

Every minute, the equivalent of a garbage truck full of plastic enters our oceans. Plastic doesn't biodegrade — it just breaks down into smaller and smaller pieces that work their way up the food chain. Microplastics have been found in drinking water, seafood, and even human blood.

The problem is worst in developing countries where waste collection systems are inadequate, and in coastal areas where plastic waste flows directly into waterways. But even in wealthy countries, plastic pollution is everywhere: in agricultural soils, urban stormwater, and household dust.

We need both cleanup technology and prevention systems that stop plastic from entering the environment in the first place.

Materials and products that replace single-use plastics in packaging, food service, and consumer goods. These alternatives are designed to biodegrade safely or be easily recyclable, reducing the flow of persistent plastic waste into the environment.