Global Resource Corporation has announced their latest invention: a giant microwave that can turn plastics back into oil!

Called the Hawk-10, it uses an array of finely tuned microwaves to precisely break the hydrogen bonds in the long hydrocarbon molecules of solid plastics. This breakdown yields simpler, smaller hydrocarbon chains, such as oil and natural gas.

In their tests, you could grind up one steel-belted tire to yield a gallon of diesel fuel, two pounds of natural gas, two pounds of steel, and a bit of carbon ash. It can easily strip insulation off of wires, leaving scrap metal behind. Its value in the automotive recycling field is obvious... its less obvious if it makes sense to do this for all recycled plastics.

No word yet on the toxicity of the byproducts, but its possible that with a bit of tuning they could alter the molecular structure of the plastics more carefully.