Iowa State University’s Keith Vorst is working with major corporations to find new uses for recycled plastics to save money, keep the materials out of landfills and reduce pollution. Vorst, an associate professor of food science and human nutrition, leads the Polymer and Food Protection Consortium. “We’re creating technologies that will have companies mining landfills and the oceans for plastic,” Vorst said in a statement. In one example, scientists have found plastics that can double the shelf life of some products, including meats, by reducing discoloration from light exposure. Some packaging may also hold nutrients in the food better, they add.
