The article "Beyond Mechanical Recycling: Giving New Life to Plastic Waste" by Ina Vollmer et al. highlights the need for alternative approaches to increase the stream of recycled plastic beyond traditional melting and re-extrusion. The authors discuss various chemical recycling processes, including solvolysis, pyrolysis, dissolution/precipitation, and upcycling, which can enhance recycling rates and address specific plastic waste streams. They emphasize the importance of combining different technologies to tackle the plastic waste problem and suggest that research should focus on more contaminated and mixed waste streams. The article also reviews the current state of chemical recycling processes, their environmental impacts, and their potential for reducing CO2 emissions compared to landfilling and incineration. Additionally, it provides an overview of the most researched processes and plastics, noting that PET is the most studied plastic type due to existing collection systems. The authors advocate for policy frameworks, such as CO2 taxation, to drive market interest and further adoption of chemical recycling. They conclude by discussing emerging technologies, such as mechanochemistry, ambient-temperature photo-reforming, biotechnology, and design for recycling, which could improve the efficiency and selectivity of plastic recycling processes.The article "Beyond Mechanical Recycling: Giving New Life to Plastic Waste" by Ina Vollmer et al. highlights the need for alternative approaches to increase the stream of recycled plastic beyond traditional melting and re-extrusion. The authors discuss various chemical recycling processes, including solvolysis, pyrolysis, dissolution/precipitation, and upcycling, which can enhance recycling rates and address specific plastic waste streams. They emphasize the importance of combining different technologies to tackle the plastic waste problem and suggest that research should focus on more contaminated and mixed waste streams. The article also reviews the current state of chemical recycling processes, their environmental impacts, and their potential for reducing CO2 emissions compared to landfilling and incineration. Additionally, it provides an overview of the most researched processes and plastics, noting that PET is the most studied plastic type due to existing collection systems. The authors advocate for policy frameworks, such as CO2 taxation, to drive market interest and further adoption of chemical recycling. They conclude by discussing emerging technologies, such as mechanochemistry, ambient-temperature photo-reforming, biotechnology, and design for recycling, which could improve the efficiency and selectivity of plastic recycling processes.