Caterpillar could rid world of plastic trash

Enzymes may work to dissolve chemical bonds

LONDON • The global plastic bag crisis could be solved by a waxworm capable of eating through the material at “uniquely high speeds,” scientists have announced.

Researchers have described the caterpillar’s ability to break down even the toughest plastics as “extremely exciting.” Around a trillion plastic bags are used worldwide each year, of which a huge number find their way into the oceans or are discarded into landfill.

The waxworm, commonly found living in bee hives or harvested as fishing bait, proved it could eat its way through polyethylene, which is notoriously hard to break down, more than 1,400 times faster than other organisms.

Scientists believe the worm has enzymes in its saliva or gut that attack plastic’s chemical bonds.

The study, published in the journal Current Biology, says it is likely that digesting the beeswax found in hives involves breaking down similar types of chemical bonds.

The waxworm’s potential was discovered when Federica Bertocchini, a biologist and amateur beekeeper, cleaned out her hives and placed the parasites in a plastic bag. She soon noticed it had become riddled with holes. To confirm it was not just the caterpillars’ chewing that was degrading the plastic, researchers “mashed up” some of the worms and smeared them on polyethylene bags, which achieved similar results.

“It’s extremely, extremely exciting because breaking down plastic has proved so challenging,” said Paolo Bombelli from Cambridge University. “If a single enzyme is responsible for this chemical process, its reproduction on a large scale using biotechnological methods should be achievable.”