Plastic-eating worm discovered that could help reduce pollution, scientists say

Eating plastic, it’s fantastic!

Scientists might have found an unlikely solution to the trash problem choking our planet — a plastic-eating insect, which was described in the journal Nature.

The larvae of a lesser-eating Kenyan mealworm can digest the ubiquitous pollutant, making it the only insect species native to Africa that has been shown to do this, the Conversation reported.

“By studying these natural ‘plastic-eaters,’ we hope to create new tools that help get rid of plastic waste faster and more efficiently,” wrote Fathiya Khamis, a senior scientist at the International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology who made the discovery.

Lesser mealworm larvae chewing through polystyrene to test their efficacy at battling the plastic pollution issue. Springer Nature

They specifically found that the worm, which is the pupae of an Alphitobius darkling beetle, possesses enzymes that can break down polystyrene — best known as the key ingredient in styrofoam.

This pollutant runs rampant in aquatic ecosystems and is notoriously durable — polystyrene was notably targeted by a Biden Administration campaign to help reduce plastic pollution.

Fortunately, the mealworm could provide a more efficient and eco-friendly alternative to traditional recycling methods, which are expensive and can paradoxically increase pollution.

Polystyrene before and after getting ransacked by the worms. “By studying these natural ‘plastic-eaters,’ we hope to create new tools that help get rid of plastic waste faster and more efficiently,” wrote Fathiya Khamis, a senior scientist at the International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology who made the discovery. Springer Nature

To test if this organic trash compactor was effective, scientists conducted a month-long trial that helped shed light on their gut bacteria.

The worms were fed either plastic polystyrene alone, bran (a nutrient-dense food) alone, or a combination of both.

Researchers found that the worms on a polystyrene-bran diet consumed polystyrene more efficiently than those on a polystyrene-only diet, breaking down 11.7% of the total polymer over the trial period.

They also survived at a much higher rate, indicating the importance of a nutritious diet.

The worms that broke down the polymer were found to have much higher levels of certain bacteria, whose enzymes researchers hope to isolate and “create microbial solutions that will address plastic waste on a larger scale,” Khamis wrote.

“Instead of releasing a huge number of these insects into trash sites (which isn’t practical), we can use the microbes and enzymes they produce in factories, landfills and cleanup sites,” she declared.

First, scientists must determine if said enzymes can be produced at the scale required for recycling waste.

They also want to see if the mealworm’s polystyrene-pulverizing prowess applies to other polymers as well.