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How Nuclear Technology Can Help Solve Plastic Pollution
World leaders are gathering in Manila for the NUTEC Plastics Forum to discuss progress, address existing challenges, and chart a path forward. At the forum, the IAEA will showcase how nuclear science and technology are helping combat plastic pollution.
November 25, 2025
Monika Šifotoka, IAEA Office of Public Information and Communication
Marine debris containing plastic pellets on a Sri Lankan beach. (Photo: S. Funk/Ocean Image Bank)
How Nuclear Technology Can Help Solve Plastic Pollution
Every year, approximately 20 million tons of plastic end up in oceans, rivers, and lakes, destroying ecosystems and depriving people of their livelihoods. In 2020, the IAEA began implementing Initiatives to use nuclear technology to combat plastic pollution (NUTEK plastics), which uses science to track, understand, and reduce plastic pollution at every level—down to the atom. In this article, you'll learn how nuclear technology is helping countries combat the scourge of plastic pollution.
1. Fighting plastic pollution on two fronts
NUTEK Plastics combines science and technology to combat plastic waste by:
Monitoring and assessment – using nuclear techniques to track and study microplastics in the oceans to inform decision-making; and plastic waste recycling – using radiation technologies to transform plastic waste into useful and valuable products.
2. See the invisible
IAEA scientists François Oberhensli and Marc Metjan collect samples of Antarctic beach sand for further analysis. (Photo: IAEA)
Microplastics are tiny particles, sometimes as small as one thousandth of a millimeter. NUTEK Plastics uses nuclear imaging tools and radioactive tracers to detect, track, and study the movement of these particles in marine ecosystems—and even in seafood.
Scientists have also proven that Microplastics are passed from a female shark to her baby..
These data are used to develop evidence-based policies and protect the marine environment and those who rely on the sea for their livelihoods.
3. Ocean monitoring
(Photo: IAEA)
Using nuclear imaging techniques, scientists can detect the presence of even the smallest plastic particles in seawater, beach sand, sediment, and marine organisms.
NUTEK Plastics provides laboratories around the world with the technology and technical expertise needed to sample, analyze, and monitor ocean microplastic pollution.
As part of the IAEA's efforts to monitor marine microplastic pollution, IAEA experts from the Marine Environment Laboratories in Monaco conducted sampling missions to Antarctica and the Galapagos Islands in Ecuador to collect data and support the development of sampling capacity in the region. The answer to the question of the presence of microplastics there is affirmative—microplastics have already reached these most remote corners of the world.
Currently, the NUTEC Plastics Global Network of Marine Monitoring Laboratories encompasses over 100 laboratories worldwide, facilitating the exchange of data and expertise. Through the IAEA's technical cooperation program, over 400 scientists have been trained in monitoring and analyzing microplastic pollution.
4. Transforming plastic waste into useful materials
Building materials made from recycled plastic, Philippines. (Photo: FINR)
Using radiation-based technology, NUTEK Plastics helps countries streamline the process of sorting and recycling plastics. These nuclear methods allow waste to be converted into durable building materials, industrial fuels, and industrial waxes, as well as stronger, more environmentally friendly plastics.
5. Bringing science and industry together to create practical solutions
Weather-resistant straw made from recycled plastic and rice husks, Indonesia. (Photo: PI-TI WAIRO)
NUTEK Plastics promotes collaboration between the public and private sectors to ensure that solutions are not only scientifically sound but also market-ready. Some countries are using these materials in the following ways:
Argentina produces railroad ties from recycled plastic waste. China processes polyolefins, commonly found in food and shrink wrap, into industrial wax. In Indonesia, weather-resistant straw has been created from recycled plastic and rice husks. In Malaysia, radiation-induced processes are used to convert PTFE (Teflon) waste into industrial additives, and used polyethylene is used to produce fuel. In the Philippines, affordable building materials are produced from recycled plastic. In Tunisia, some cement is replaced with material made from irradiated plastic waste to produce lighter, cheaper, yet equally durable concrete. Romania and Germany are improving sorting methods to increase the purity of recycled polyethylene and polypropylene, allowing the creation of high-quality fabrics from plastic waste.
6. Moving towards a circular economy
The IAEA's mobile electron beam system on display during the IAEA General Conference, September 2025. (Photo: A. Evrensel/IAEA)
NUTEK Plastics helps countries reduce their dependence on fossil fuels, reduce CO₂ emissions, and improve sustainable production by turning waste into valuable resources.
New circular economy assessment platform expands capabilities IAEA instrumentation, complementing existing models for assessing the technological maturity and economic feasibility of introducing electron beam processing technologies into the field of plastics processing.
The IAEA's new mobile electron beam system will also support Member States in research and development, training, and demonstration of innovative applications of ionizing radiation, including the sorting and recycling of plastic waste.
7. Acceleration of industrial transition
Durable railroad ties made from irradiated plastic waste, Argentina. (Photo: Circularis)
Under the initiative, 53 member states receive guidance through a structured development plan that helps them scale their activities from laboratory research to industrial production. The goal is to commission industrial-scale pilot plants by 2026–2027, paving the way for cleaner industry and bringing them one step closer to a circular economy.
Collaborate with us
The NUTEK Plastics initiative is being implemented within the framework of the IAEA technical cooperation programme and coordinated research projects (CRP), as well as thanks to contributions from IAEA Member States and partners. Additional information, including facts and figures, can be found on the portal NUTEK Plastics, donors and partnerships, posted Here.
Stay up to date with the latest news International high-level forum on the initiative of NUTEK Plastics in real time on the IAEA social media pages: Facebook, X, LinkedIn, Instagram And Threads.
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