Plastic Eating Bacteria
Two high school senior girls in Vancouver have recently discovered a process that helps break down plastic. This process begins with solvent that dissolves the plastic, and then what is left over can be consumed by their newly developed bacteria. This bacteria was made to specifically eat phthalate, a material found in plastic that is hard to break down. Over in Japan at Kyoto University, they found a completely new bacteria species that eats plastics. There are also current studies on how meal worms can eat Styrofoam and plastic. I believe that this could be a extremely beneficial discovery to the world. Being that all the plastic ever used is still floating around somewhere on earth either in landfills or oceans, although side effects are not yet known. Learn about the bacteria here!
Interesting article. No surprise that New York has the highest waste output, what with the idea of American infatuation with excess. The eliminating processes in the western world may be more efficient but only due to the status of western countries economies. Cities in South/South East Asia are littered with waste and their sanitation policies have been a major national issue for years. It is still legal for people to openly defacate in India. Waste generation in the world is unfathomable, and no matter the organization of it, it is still detrimental to the environment. Waste is becoming a symbol of national status rather than a symbol of collective damage enflicted upon the world.
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