Surprising discovery shows scale of plastic pollution and reveals enzymes that could boost recycling.
The study is the first large-scale global assessment of the plastic-degrading potential of bacteria and found that one in four of the organisms analysed carried a suitable enzyme. The researchers found that the number and type of enzymes they discovered matched the amount and type of plastic pollution in different locations.
The results “provide evidence of a measurable effect of plastic pollution on the global microbial ecology”, the scientists said.
Microbes in oceans and soils across the globe are evolving to eat plastic, according to a study.