In Vienna, yesterday's plastic waste became a sponge that pulls drinking water from the air

The plastic packaging piling up in landfills might have a second life — as a water collector. Chemists at the University of Vienna have turned waste plastics, even mixed unsorted waste, into molecular sponges that absorb moisture from the air, which can then be released as water. The work, published in Chem Circularity, is early-stage: the team is still testing durability and safety. But the direction is tantalising — two problems, plastic waste and water scarcity, beginning to solve each other.

SDG 12 · Responsible consumption and production — Mechanism: tech innovation