Styrofoam-eating bacteria
Posted: Thu Mar 09, 2006 10:11 pm
Immortal Styrofoam meets its match
Scientists find bacteria that eats material, turns it into usable plastic
Scientists find bacteria that eats material, turns it into usable plastic
Interesting stuff. First nylon, now polystyrene. I'm not exactly an environmentalist, but maybe we can cut down on styrofoam entering landfills now.Despite being made 95 percent of air, Styrofoam plastic's manufactured immortality has posed a problem for recycling efforts. More than 3 million tons of the durable material is produced every year in the United States, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Very little of it is recycled.
Help may come from bacteria that have been found to eat Styrofoam material and turn it into usable plastic. This is the stuff recycling dreams are made of: Yesterday's cup could become tomorrow's plastic spoon.