A team of Washington State University researchers have developed a fast way to convert a common plastic into a high-quality resin.

The “simple and efficient” method turns a biologically based plastic used in disposable silverware and food packaging into resin for three-dimensional printers, according to a WSU news release.

The study was led by Jinwen Zhang, a professor in the WSU School of Mechanical and Materials Engineering, and has been published in the journal, Green Chemistry.