That bombshell comes from the news that carbon waste could be turned into DVDs or other polycarbonate plastics.

According to reports presented at the 235th annual meeting of the American Chemical Society, carbon dioxide removed from smokestack emissions could be a valuable raw material for the production of DVDs, bottles and other products.

"Carbon dioxide is so readily available, especially from the smokestack of industries that burn coal and other fossil fuels," Thomas E Müller PhD said, according to Science Daily.

"And it's a very cheap starting material. If we can replace more expensive starting materials with CO2, then you'll have an economic driving force."

Müller said innovative ways of making polycarbonate plastics from CO2 offered consumers the potential for less expensive, safer and greener products compared to current production methods.