Scientists Create World’s First Truly Biodegradable Single-use Plastic That ‘Eats Itself’ in Just...

Michie

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Despite our efforts to sort and recycle, less than 9% of plastic gets recycled in the U.S., and most ends up in landfill or the environment.

Biodegradable plastic bags and containers could help, but if they’re not properly sorted, they can contaminate otherwise recyclable #1 and #2 plastics. What’s worse, most biodegradable plastics take months to break down, and when they finally do, they form microplastics, tiny bits of plastic that can end up in oceans and animals’ bodies, including our own.

Now, scientists at the the Berkeley Lab and UC Berkeley have designed an enzyme-activated compostable plastic that could diminish microplastics pollution, and holds great promise for plastics upcycling.

Continued below.
Scientists Create World's First Truly Biodegradable Single-use Plastic That 'Eats Itself' in Just 2 Weeks