Moth which eats plastic could solve issue of discarded bags

A MOTH that prefers plastic to pullovers could help solve the problem of discarded shopping bags and packaging, researchers believe.

The larvae of the greater wax moth normally thrive on beeswax, making them a hated enemy of bee keepers across Europe.

But a chance discovery has shown that they will also happily munch on plastic. Placed in a plastic bag the grubs leave it riddled with holes, in much the same way that a woollen jumper is attacked by clothes moth caterpillars.

Understanding how the larvae eat plastic could provide a biotechnological method of disposing of bags and packaging, a major source of land and sea pollution, say scientists.

Dr Paolo Bombelli, a member of the team from Cambridge University, said: “If a single enzyme is responsible for this chemical process, its reproduction on a large scale using biotechnological methods should be achievable.

“This discovery could be an important tool for helping to get rid of the polyethylene plastic waste accumulated in landfill sites and oceans.”

The caterpillars, known as “wax worms”, are commercially bred for fishing bait and in the wild live as parasites in bee colonies. A member of the research team from Spain, who happens to keep bees, spotted their penchant for plastic while removing the pests from her hives.

Up to 38 per cent of discarded plastic in Europe is buried in landfill sites. In the oceans, plastic waste breaks down into small particles which pose a serious health risk to the fish that ingest them.

Each year, some eight million tonnes of waste plastic from around the world ends up in the sea. Dr Bertocchini said: “Plastic is a global problem. Nowadays waste can be found everywhere, including in rivers and oceans.

“Polyethylene in particular is very resistant, and as such is very difficult to degrade naturally.”