The UK in now at war with waste plastic creating major new opportunities for the waste industry. In January Prime Minister Theresa May published a new 25 year Environment Plan which pledged to eliminate all avoidable plastic waste by 2042. Increasing recycling rates, using biodegradable materials and reusing plastic are all parts of the strategy but what if all plastics could be made to biodegrade under the right treatment conditions? Well this just might be possible. There is already a unique bioreactor that can really do this. Its unique combination of microbes and enzymes can break plastic down into carbon dioxide, water and organic fertilizer. The problem is that this bioreactor is alive and exists inside the gut of a mealworm.

Researchers all over the world are now studying these larvae to identify and isolate the incredible processes that are biodegrading plastic. We talk to the world leading researchers at Stanford University who have proven the effectiveness of mealworms in tackling polystyrene and polyethylene and ask what the implications of this could be for the UK waste management industry.

GUESTS:

Dr Wei-Min Wu, senior research engineer, University of Stanford

Heather Gorringe, founder and CEO, Wiggly Wigglers

Philip Chadwick, editor, Packaging News

The post #3 Worms and plastic: a waste treatment revolution first appeared on Engineering Matters.