Mutant Bacteria “Eat” a Tonne of Plastic Bottles in Ten Hours

A mutant bacterial enzyme has been created by scientists to break down plastic bottles to chemical building blocks within hours – ready for recycling into high-quality new ones.

Reducing the use of plastic is one part of the solution to the threatening issue of waste, explains Martin Stephan, deputy chief executive at Carbios, the company behind the breakthrough. “But we all know that plastic brings a lot of value to society, in food, medical care, transportation. The problem is plastic waste.”

To date, recycling technologies have mainly been able to produce plastic good enough for little more than clothing and carpets. But the new enzyme, unveiled in a research published in the journal Nature, is optimized to break down a tonne of waste plastic bottles, which degraded by 90% within 10 hours.

The company is aiming for industrial-scale recycling within five years, and has partnered with major firms including Pepsi and L’Oréal to speed up the process.