Interview with our director Rachael Rothman about our special plastics project.
The interview in The Star describes how our £1m Plastics: Redefining Single-Use project at The University of Sheffield aims to change not only how we deal with plastic, but the way we think about it too.
Our director Dr Rachael Rothman stresses the importance of re-use. “The problem is not plastic, it’s plastic waste. We have become a society of convenience. And while there are clever ways to recycle it, re-use is better.”
For the interview – which is part of #CoveringClimateNow week – Rachael also discusses her work with Our Cow Molly to replace plastic bottles used by the university. Overall, she stresses that re-use – rather than recycling – is needed to make plastic sustainable.
“All our life cycle analysis shows reuse is best. And the best reusable cup is the one you already have.”
Read the full interview in The Star: SURVIVAL PLAN: The problem with plastic? People.
As well as being our Co-Director, Rachael’s research concentrates on clean energy and sustainable process development. Additionally, Rachael is the Academic Lead for Sustainability across the whole of the University of Sheffield. Find out more about sustainability at Sheffield.
Rachael Rothman is part of our 2 special plastics projects, Plastics: Redefining Single-Use and Many Happy Returns. In 2022 she gave evidence to an EFRA committee about plastic waste. Read: Our co-director speaks about plastic waste to EFRA committee.