Abstract With the rapid increase of global waste plastic, traditional treatment methods suffer from environmental and resource drawbacks. The development of efficient and green chemical conversion and upcycling technologies of waste plastic is crucial for alleviating environmental pressure, promoting resource recycling, and achieving sustainable development. This review systematically summarizes the research progress in the chemical conversion of waste plastics, focusing on the development trends of traditional chemical conversion technologies (pyrolysis and solvent depolymerization) and field-assisted chemical conversion technologies (including electrocatalysis, photocatalysis, photothermal catalysis, as well as microwave and Joule heat-assisted pyrolysis). It also provides an in-depth analysis of the innovative pathways and advantages of multi-method and multi-path coupled conversion. Finally, some suggestions are proposed for future research on the chemical conversion of waste plastics, offering a direct reference for the technical selection and catalyst design of high-value recycling of waste plastics.