Carbon dioxide and single-use plastics are two of the leading pollutants wreaking havoc on Earth’s systems. But what if it was possible to turn them both into something actually useful by channeling the power of the sun?

Researchers at the University of Cambridge announced Monday that they had developed the first-ever solar-powered system that could convert two types of waste into two different chemicals at the same time, in this case, carbon dioxide and plastics.

“A solar-driven technology that could help to address plastic pollution and greenhouse gases at the same time could be a game-changer in the development of a circular economy,” study co-first author Subhajit Bhattacharjee said in a university press release.

The research, published in Nature Synthesis Monday, demonstrates the effectiveness of what its authors called a “promising and sustainable technology.” The device can convert both pollutants into a range of products that could be useful to industry, PV Magazine reported. For example, in tests of the device, carbon dioxide was converted into syngas, which is used in sustainable fuel, according to the press release. PET plastic bottles, on the other hand, were converted into common cosmetics ingredient glycolic acid.

However, the researchers wanted the device to be adaptable to different uses. Therefore, they designed it so that the different end products can be generated by using different catalysis in the reactor, according to PV Magazine. The catalyst molecular cobalt porphyrin turned carbon dioxide into carbon monoxide, a formate dehydrogenase enzyme turned it into formate and an alloy of Cu91In9 generated the syngas, according to the study.

Read the full article about solar-powered waste processing by Olivia Rosane at EcoWatch.