New research shows that beetles can shred and eat plastic.
Scientists in Australia have found that the Zophobas morio, a species of beetle, can digest polystyrene.
The waste problem could be curbed by the consumption of super-enzymes.
Polystyrene is a plastic that can be found in everyday items such as containers and disposable utensils. Polystyrene foam is used in packaging and insulation.
Superworms were fed a foam used in building insulation.
The insects that snacked on plastic were able to complete their life cycle.
Chris Rinke, a co-author of the study, said the superworms attacked the polystyrene within 24 hours.
The faeces turn from brown to white within 48 hours.
The superworms shredded the foam by shredding it mechanically and the microbes in their gut had the ability to break down the foam into its component parts.
The researchers were able to identify strains ofbacteria that have a link to polystyrene degradation. They need to figure out which of the enzymes is the most efficient to make at scale.
Microbes are able to break down plastic. In a Japanese dump, the firstbacteria with the ability were found.
Waxworms and mealworms, which are smaller than the superworm, can eat some plastic.
Polystyrene foam's low density and bulkiness make it difficult to recycle.
Rinke said that mechanical recycling isn't very efficient. Plastic benches and frames are some of the end product of the process.
He suggested that the basis of a plastic upcycling process could be found in the superworms.
Polystyrene will no longer be accepted in food and beverage containers in Australia by the end of the year as a result of the National Plastic Plan.
It was published in a journal.
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