Cellulose/zinc oxide (ZnO) aerogels are traditionally produced using methods harmful to the environment because of the acids and alkalis that are involved in the production process. This study reported a facile approach for synthesizing cellulose aerogels with uniform and tunable ZnO nanoparticles that are based on ionic liquid 1-allyl-3-methylimidazolium chloride ([Amim]Cl) and polyhydric alcohol. The entire preparation process is environmental friendly and controllable. The hybrid aerogels are lightweight (0.0463 g/cm(3)) with a high surface area (267 4 m(2)/g) and possess great compressive strength (51.53 N/cm(2)). Furthermore, the morphology and size of the ZnO nanoparticles are observed to be tunable; the ZnO nanoparticles can be uniformly synthesized in situ on the cellulose fibers by adjusting the concentration of Zn(Ac)(2) precursor and the hydrolytic time. The cellulose/ZnO aerogels exhibit good catalytic efficiency during the degradation of polyethylene terephthalate and can be directly taken out without separation for recycling.