Discovery of Plastic-Eating Worms; New Hope in the Fight Against Human Waste

As the Earth is drowning under a pile of plastic waste, scientists have found a new way to recycle it: plastic-eating worms. According to the Stanford University Environmental Protection Institute, a team of American and Chinese scientists has discovered that a type of larva, known as the yellow mealworm, not only has the ability to digest regular plastics but also can consume 'non-biodegradable' plastics such as polystyrene. The microorganisms in these larvae convert plastic into carbon dioxide and then into the nutrients needed by these small creatures. Researchers believe this discovery could be an important tool in humanity's fight against plastic, a material that poses serious dangers to humans and causes irreparable damage to the environment. Dr. Wei Min Wu, one of the researchers at Stanford, states that the results of this research could open new doors for a global fight against plastic pollution. In this study, nearly forty milligrams of a type of non-biodegradable plastic foam were fed to one hundred yellow mealworms. These worms consumed and digested half of the plastics as if they were regular food. According to researchers, the worms that fed on this type of plastic remain healthy, and it seems their feces could be used as fertilizer for enriching the soil. The results of this research have been published in the scientific journal 'Environmental Science and Technology.' Professor Ying Jun from Peking University states that 400 million tons of plastic waste are released globally each year, and since plastic takes centuries to decompose, this amount of waste poses a significant threat to human health. In 2013, 271 million tons of plastic were consumed by people worldwide, of which 20 million tons are considered non-biodegradable.