Name: These bacteria eat plastic
Uploaded: 2019-05-28T14:58:25Z
Duration: 9 min 3 s
Description: Humans produce 300 million tons of new plastic each year -- yet, despite our best efforts, less than 10 percent of it ends up being recycled. Is there a better way to deal with all this waste? Morgan Vague describes her research with microbiologist Jay Mellies on bacteria that have evolved the unexpected ability to eat plastic -- and how they could help us solve our growing pollution problem.

Humans produce 300 million tons of new plastic each year -- yet, despite our best efforts, less than 10 percent of it ends up being recycled. Is there a better way to deal with all this waste? Morgan Vague describes her research with microbiologist Jay Mellies on bacteria that have evolved the unexpected ability to eat plastic -- and how they could help us solve our growing pollution problem.

These bacteria eat plastic

While humans produce 300 million tons of plastic annually, less than ten percent is recycled, and most takes centuries to break down. Some naturally occurring bacteria have evolved the ability to digest tough plastics like PET, even turning them into energy. Research shows these bacteria are already present in polluted environments and could be harnessed to help tackle the mounting plastic pollution crisis. With the right support, bacteria-powered systems might one day process plastic waste on an industrial scale.