Hundreds of billions of pounds of plastic are being produced each year around the world and only a small percentage of it is getting recycled. That sets the stage for people to be more exposed to plastics waste that can have harmful effects on human health — particularly plastics made with the chemical called BPA. Matthew Green, an associate professor in the School for Engineering of Matter, Transport and Energy, part of the Fulton Schools, discusses safer and more sustainable alternatives being developed by ASU researchers, including plant-based plastic materials suitable for use in water filtration and medical devices in which BPA-based plastics might otherwise be used.