Microbes That Eat Plastic
Imagine throwing away a plastic bottle and, instead of it lying around for centuries, tiny invisible workers start chewing it up like a snack. These workers aren’t ants or termites, but microbes—bacteria and fungi—that have evolved to see plastic as food.
Plastic was once thought to be almost eternal. Bags, bottles, and wrappers litter landfills, oceans, and even mountaintops. Scientists were worried because nature didn’t seem to have the tools to break it down. But nature is clever: give it time, and life finds a way. Around 2016, a team of Japanese scientists discovered a bacterium called Ideonella sakaiensis that can feast on PET plastic (the kind used in bottles and clothes). This microbe releases special enzymes, molecular scissors that cut plastic into smaller pieces, which it then digests for energy.
Other microbes and fungi have joined the list—species from soil, compost, and even the guts of insects. Some can chew on polyethylene, polystyrene, and polyurethane. What’s more fascinating is that scientists are now engineering these natural enzymes to work faster, hoping one day to recycle mountains of plastic waste into reusable materials.
The idea is revolutionary: instead of plastic being our enemy, microbes could help turn it back into useful raw material. Imagine future recycling plants filled not with noisy machines but with giant vats of “hungry microbes,” quietly and cleanly eating plastic pollution away. Nature, once again, becomes both teacher and ally.
Mini DIY Demo – “Bread as Plastic”
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Take two pieces of bread. Put one in a sealed plastic bag, leave the other open in a damp place.
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After a few days, the open bread will grow mold—these are fungi breaking it down.
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Just like the mold turns bread into food for itself, special microbes in labs can turn plastics into food.
(Safe note: Don’t touch the mold directly—observe it visually!)
3-Line Summary
Tiny microbes like Ideonella sakaiensis can digest plastic using special enzymes.
Scientists are improving these natural abilities to recycle waste more efficiently.
In the future, “plastic-eating microbes” could transform pollution into useful resources.