Unlocking the Potential of MOFs for Waste Plastic Resource Utilization and Microplastic Pollution Control

The global plastic waste crisis urgently calls for innovative strategies that move beyond conventional disposal methods. Against this backdrop, establishing a circular pathway for plastic waste—effectively converting end-of-life products into valuable resources—has become a critical objective for sustainable development. Metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) have emerged as a revolutionary catalytic platform, offering unique advantages such as structural tunability, ultrahigh surface area, and precisely designable active sites, thereby opening new possibilities for achieving this goal. This review highlights the great potential of MOF-based catalysts in addressing key challenges during plastic valorization and explores their role as ideal drivers for such a circular plastic pathway. It systematically summarizes synthesis strategies for MOFs and recent advances in their catalytic applications, covering pathways for converting plastics into high-value monomers or chemicals, as well as efficient microplastic degradation. The core objective is to demonstrate how MOF-enabled catalysis can bridge waste plastics and renewable resources, thereby providing strategic support for building a circular plastic economy.