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We are just getting started’: the plastic-eating bacteria that could change the world (www.theguardian.com)

submitted 1 year ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

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When a microbe was found munching on a plastic bottle in a rubbish dump, it promised a recycling revolution. Now scientists are attempting to turbocharge those powers in a bid to solve our waste crisis. But will it work?

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[–] [email protected] 31 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (6 children)

This bacteria eats only one type of plastic (PET), and that's a minority of the plastic we produce

Related, half of the plastic pollution in the oceans is fishing nets; want less plastic in the environment, stopping fishing would be a better first step (and is required for many other reasons anyway)

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago

Fishing nets are the most common waste, in the most common place that fishing nets are used.

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