Mutant bacteria eat plastic waste

A newly-discovered bacterium has learned how to break down and feed on plastic. Now, the tiny organisms are to pave the way for a method to remove plastic from nature.

Plastic waste in nature is a major problem, but the solution could be minor. Scientists have discovered a bacterium known as Ideonella sakaiensis that liberates the PETase enzyme, which breaks down the PET material from plastic bottles, etc. By isolating the enzyme, scientists produced mutant versions that broke down PET in a few days – corresponding to 20 % faster than normal enzymes. Scientists estimate that it will take 450-1,000 years for a plastic PET bottle to be broken down in the ocean or on the forest floor.

Over the past 60 years, the bacteria have mutated their way to their abilities in garbage dumps, where plastic was their only food source. By discovering the bacteria’s secret, scientists hope that the enzymes and the bacteria can play a vital role in removing several types of plastic from nature.

SHUTTERSTOCK Billions of pieces of plastic float about the oceans, but in about 60 years, a bacterium has learned to break down the plastic.

I. sakaiensis can stick to a plastic bottle, etc., and release the PETase enzyme, that breaks downplastic into MHET, that the bacterium can absorb and break down into shorter, more harmless molecule chains such as CO2 and sugar.