Polyamides (PA) are one of the five major engineering plastics, widely used in transportation, clothing, entertainment, and health. However, the increasing production of PA has led to severe pollution issues. This article reviews current recycling and treatment processes for PA, including chemical, mechanical, and energy recovery methods, as well as degradation methods such as thermal oxidation, photooxidation, and enzyme degradation. It discusses the synthesis mechanisms of PA and evaluates the advantages and disadvantages of different treatment methods to develop more environmentally friendly and economical solutions. The article highlights the potential of finding enzymes that can degrade high-molecular-weight PA, exploring mild conditions for recovery, synthesizing environmentally degradable PA through copolymerization or molecular design, and preparing degradable bio-based PA. The review also covers the industrial status of PA recovery, compares various current recovery and degradation methods, and proposes possible solutions to existing PA pollution problems. The focus is on PA-6 and PA-66, which account for about 90% of all PA products. The article concludes with a comprehensive overview of the current status of PA recycling and degradation, providing suggestions for addressing the pollution problem.Polyamides (PA) are one of the five major engineering plastics, widely used in transportation, clothing, entertainment, and health. However, the increasing production of PA has led to severe pollution issues. This article reviews current recycling and treatment processes for PA, including chemical, mechanical, and energy recovery methods, as well as degradation methods such as thermal oxidation, photooxidation, and enzyme degradation. It discusses the synthesis mechanisms of PA and evaluates the advantages and disadvantages of different treatment methods to develop more environmentally friendly and economical solutions. The article highlights the potential of finding enzymes that can degrade high-molecular-weight PA, exploring mild conditions for recovery, synthesizing environmentally degradable PA through copolymerization or molecular design, and preparing degradable bio-based PA. The review also covers the industrial status of PA recovery, compares various current recovery and degradation methods, and proposes possible solutions to existing PA pollution problems. The focus is on PA-6 and PA-66, which account for about 90% of all PA products. The article concludes with a comprehensive overview of the current status of PA recycling and degradation, providing suggestions for addressing the pollution problem.