Australia's circular economy targets are slipping further out of reach — we're currently recycling only around 15% of the 3.5 million tonnes of plastic waste we generate each year. Dr Ross Headifen explains how landfill-biodegradable plastics offer a practical bridge: fully recyclable when recovery infrastructure exists, but able to naturally biodegrade in landfill when it doesn't — without the microplastic risks of degradable additives or the shelf-life and disposal limits of compostables.