( CNN ) -- Cradling your heap of plastic , you approach the bins , hastily inspecting each item for the number molded on the bottom . Plastic water bottles go in the bin for ones and twos , along with the milk jug . That was easy enough , but what about the water bottle caps ? Trash . Chinese take-out container ? Bin number six . Packing peanuts ? Trash . Canola oil container is labeled number three . No number threes accepted . Annoyed and confused yet ? You 're not alone . The EPA reports only 7 % of plastic waste generated in 2009 was recovered for recycling . But , a discovery by University of Warwick engineers could make recycling easier for you . A group of scientists at this U.K. university has discovered a way to recycle 100 % of plastic . Using pyrolysis , a technique in which heat is applied in the absence of oxygen to decompose materials , the university says it was able to break plastic down into its basic elements . The results could mean a significant reduction in pollution while scientists try to find a safer alternative to using plastic . `` It will reduce the amount of plastic from being sent to landfills and/or incinerators , beautify our environments and create sustainable plastic products , '' said environmental engineer Naji Khoury of Temple University College of Engineering . Warwick Ventures business development manager Kevin Marks says the next step is to commercialize their findings . They will build their first plant in the near future . `` There are currently no commercial recycling plants that can deal with domestic mixed plastic waste , so the system we are developing will be the first of its kind in the world , '' Marks said . Why could this be such a big deal ? The EPA spent more than $ 220 million on recycling and waste management in 2008 due to sorting , landfill management and other costly actions . The ability to recycle 100 % of plastic could remove the need to sort through materials and reduce the need to produce fresh plastic . `` Waste can be a valuable resource , '' said Craig Criddle , an environmental engineer at Stanford University . `` We hear a lot of about 'waste-to-energy ' but little about 'waste-to-chemicals . ' Creating chemicals from waste could be more profitable than making energy . '' Since plastic is not biodegradable , it can not be broken down by microorganisms and remains in a landfill forever . Polly Sattler , executive director of GreenPlate , a nonprofit environmental organization dedicated to reducing the use of plastics in society , says what people need to know is that many of the materials collected have a lot of potential value and are sold . By using the University of Warwick 's process to turn plastics into energy , she believes people will see the need to increase their recycling efforts . While temporary measures can be taken to reduce our plastic use , Criddle said widespread use of this technology would decrease our dependence on fossil carbon and stimulate local economies . Robert Waymouth , a chemist at Stanford University , offers a simple example to explain what he believes is the most important conclusion of the study : `` Consider the jug of liquid laundry detergent . ... this jug could be reused for 10 years , but we typically throw it away after the laundry detergent is gone . ... It 's the economy of convenience that leads to our current 'throw-away ' society ; this is ultimately not a sustainable way to utilize our resources or sustain our environment . '' Chemist Marc Hillmyer of the University of Minnesota says actions come with consequences : `` Advances in science led to the generation of wonderfully useful , versatile , lightweight and strong plastics that have myriad applications that bring benefit to society . Now , we have to use the same ingenuity to appropriately deal with the plastic waste that is a consequence of the broad utility of these materials . ''
Chinese scientists say they 've found way to recycle only 7 % of plastics . University of Warwick plans first commercial plant soon . Waste can be a valuable resource , '' University of Warwick engineer says .