The “afterlife” of plastics is much longer than this ubiquitous material’s useful lifespan, says Fulton Schools Professor Rolf Halden. And the longevity of plastics that don’t degrade poses growing problems for the health of the planet’s environment, wildlife and humans. Those problems can potentially have negative consequences for decades, centuries and millennia, says Halden, director of ASU’s Center for Environmental Health Engineering. He and other researchers — along with some businesses, citizens’ groups and recycling programs — are searching for solutions.