By Wendy Plump
Department of Chemistry
Thursday, Apr. 23, 2026

Paul Chirik shifts into high-energy mode when the subject of plastic arises, as it so often does these days. For Chirik, the Edwards S. Sanford Professor of Chemistry and a longtime researcher on methods that could dramatically improve chemical recycling, Earth Day provides an opportunity to introduce another perspective, one that focuses on the benefits of plastic and the real issue that lies behind its accumulation: better recycling methods.

Here, in celebration of both Earth Day and real solutions, is Chirik’s take on what we should know about plastic.

Q: A recent Earth Day theme was “Planet vs. Plastics.” Does that strike you as hitting the wrong note?

A: Absolutely. I would say that plastic has done far more good for the planet than bad. For example, your car is filled with various plastics. The idea is that the lighter you make trucks, cars, airplanes, ships—anything that moves—the more energy you save. The key recognition here is that the energy you save is the equivalent of energy discovery. So, if you save a barrel of oil on a more efficient car, you discover a barrel of oil that you didn’t have before. Plastic has enabled that hundreds of thousands if not millions of times since its widespread adoption in the 1950s. …

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