The search is on for a biological solution to the plastic waste problem of the world. There are indications that soon we might be able to grow up cultures of specific plastic-eating bacteria and let them loose into landfill.
The question is not whether such bacteria exist but rather how does one find them, isolate them and then culture them to mega quantities for use on a commercial scale. The very process of evolution tells us that there will be such bugs living in plastic environments that have been naturally selected for their ability to survive on plastics as food. Indeed it is well known that insect pests found in warehouses where grains are stored in plastic packages are able to chew and eat through the plastic.
A recent study from China of mealworms that were able to eat Styrofoam has shown that in the gut of these larvae there are bacteria that can actually breakdown and digest this polystyrene that we once thought was non-biodegradable. Isolation of this Exiguobacterium gives hope for the future. Similarly in Japan it was reported this year that the soil of a PET bottle recycling plant contained a bacterium Ideonella sakaiensis that was capable of digesting this plastic.
To read the full story, visit http://www.theherald.com.au/story/3972116/science-is-on-the-hunt-for-microbes-to-eat-our-plastic/.