PhDs have been searching for a solution to the global plastic waste problem, but the solution may have come through a pair of 16-year-olds.
The teen winner in last year’s Canadian Science Fair presented research on microorganisms that can rapidly biodegrade plastic.
Daniel Burd knew that plastic, one of the most indestructible of manufactured materials, does in fact eventually decompose. It takes 1,000 years but decompose it does, which means there must be microorganisms out there to do the decomposing.
Photo credit: Samuel Mann/Flickr
I just hope this microb doesn’t meet up with the Plastiki…or anyone’s plumbing pipes!!
The whole structure of plumbing or our digestive systems will have changed in a thousand years, dont you think?
: )
And these Microorganisms existed before the kids have discovered them… Just like gravity and newtons Apple 🙂
So i guess the first of the plastic pipes arent a thousand years old yet, and you need not worry about spillage at home just yet ; )