We use it everywhere—bags, bottles, toys, packaging, even clothes. Plastic is cheap, durable, and convenient. But what once seemed like a miracle material has turned into a global nightmare. Over 400 million tons of plastic are produced each year, and only about 9% gets recycled. The rest ends up in landfills, rivers, oceans, and even in the air we breathe. It can take hundreds of years for plastic to naturally decompose. So, how can we fight back?

In an extraordinary twist, scientists have discovered that nature itself may offer a surprising solution: bacteria that eat plastic.

A Scientific Surprise: The Discovery of Plastic-Eating Bacteria

Researchers in Japan made a fascinating discovery at a plastic recycling plant. They found a strain of bacteria, Ideonella sakaiensis, that could actually break down polyethylene terephthalate (PET) — a common plastic used in water bottles and food containers.

These microbes produce special enzymes that allow them to break PET into its basic building blocks, which they can then use as a food source. This biological process transforms the plastic into environmentally harmless byproducts like water and carbon dioxide — a breakthrough that captured the attention of scientists worldwide.

Since then, researchers across the globe have been racing to understand, enhance, and even genetically engineer these microbes to break down plastic faster and more efficiently.

How Do These Microbes Work?

To understand how plastic-eating bacteria function, think of plastic like a long chain made of repeating links—called polymers. These polymers are tightly bound and extremely tough, which is why plastic takes so long to break down naturally.

What Ideonella sakaiensis does is release enzymes like PETase and MHETase, which act like molecular scissors. PETase cuts the plastic into smaller chunks, and MHETase further breaks those down into simple chemicals the bacteria can digest.

In essence, these bacteria “digest” plastic the way humans digest carbohydrates or fats.

Supercharging the Solution: The Role of Genetic Engineering

Natural plastic-eating bacteria are amazing, but they work too slowly to handle the enormous scale of our plastic problem. That's where genetic engineering comes in.

In recent years, scientists have used CRISPR gene-editing tools to enhance the bacteria’s plastic-degrading abilities. For example:

• A team at the University of Portsmouth in the UK created a “super enzyme” by combining PETase and MHETase into a single, more powerful enzyme.
• Researchers have even inserted plastic-digesting genes into yeast and E. coli, which grow faster and are easier to manipulate than the original bacteria.

A team at the University of Portsmouth in the UK created a “super enzyme” by combining PETase and MHETase into a single, more powerful enzyme.

Researchers have even inserted plastic-digesting genes into yeast and E. coli, which grow faster and are easier to manipulate than the original bacteria.

With these bioengineered microbes, we may be able to develop industrial-scale plastic recycling systems that rely on biology instead of harsh chemicals or burning.

Can These Bacteria Work Outside the Lab?

While the lab results are promising, real-world application is more complicated. Bacteria need the right temperature, moisture, and oxygen levels to survive and work effectively. In open environments like oceans or landfills, these conditions aren’t always ideal.

Also, we must make sure that releasing genetically modified organisms into the environment doesn’t lead to unintended consequences, such as upsetting ecosystems or spreading engineered genes.

For now, scientists are focusing on closed systems, like bioreactors, where these bacteria can be used safely and efficiently to break down collected plastic waste.

Beyond Bottles: Tackling Microplastics

Another major issue is microplastics — tiny plastic particles found in food, water, air, and even human blood. Can plastic-eating bacteria help here too?

Researchers are exploring whether modified enzymes can be sprayed or applied to water treatment systems to break down microplastics before they enter natural ecosystems. Though early-stage, this could offer a groundbreaking approach to one of the most difficult pollution challenges we face.

Hope for a Cleaner Future

While there is no single solution to the plastic crisis, plastic-eating microbes offer a powerful tool in a larger strategy that includes:

• Reducing plastic use
• Improving recycling systems
• Creating biodegradable alternatives
• Educating consumers
• Supporting green innovation

Reducing plastic use

Improving recycling systems

Creating biodegradable alternatives

Educating consumers

Supporting green innovation

If properly supported, microbial plastic degradation could become part of a “circular economy” — where plastic is reused, broken down, and repurposed again and again, instead of ending up in oceans and landfills.

Conclusion: Nature Strikes Back

Nature has a remarkable ability to adapt—and sometimes, it even offers us the tools to fix the problems we create. Plastic-eating bacteria are a perfect example of this hidden potential.

We’re still in the early stages of understanding and applying this technology, but the future looks promising. With continued research, global cooperation, and mindful action, science and nature together might just help us reclaim a cleaner, healthier planet.

Thanks for reading The Research Code’s Newsletter! This post is public so feel free to share it.

Share