According to CBC, compact discs, beverage bottles and other products made from hard, clear plastics may have a role to play in slowing global warming. Speaking at the annual meeting of the American Chemical Society in New Orleans, chemists Thomas E. Muller and Toshiyasu Sakakura separately presented ways to manufacture polycarbonate plastics from waste carbon dioxide.

Carbon dioxide is produced during the combustion of fossil fuels and generally released into the atmosphere, contributing to the greenhouse effect that warms the Earth. Muller, a professor at the Institute for Technical Chemistry and Macromolecular Chemistry at RWTH Aachen University in Germany, said the millions of tonnes of plastic used each year for products such as eyeglass lenses and discs present “intriguing sinks” for waste CO2. “Using CO2 to create polycarbonates might not solve the total carbon dioxide problem, but it could be a significant contribution,” he said in a release, adding that trapping carbon dioxide in the plastics would avoid the release of many millions of tonnes into the environment. Muller acknowledged during an online press conference that such trapping would be “in the per cent range” for reduction, but it could be “a little building block” to help with the problem. Additionally, carbon dioxide is readily available and inexpensive.