Could Plastic-Eating Bacteria Save The Planet?

Plastic is one of Earth’s biggest problems. Its discovery transformed everyday life, but its failure to degrade is choking the planet. Recent discoveries, however, have given scientists hope that enzymes from bacteria might help fight plastic waste and even make future products less harmful.
Additional footage courtesy of www.upixphotography.com.
Video by Tom Gibson
#Moonshot #Green #BloombergQuicktake
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"Moonshot" introduces you to the scientists and thinkers chasing humanity’s wildest dreams. The series takes a deeper look into how science is solving the world's most complex problems in order to create a better tomorrow. The first season explores major breakthroughs from scientists including plastic eating bacteria, asteroid hunting and oceanic exploration. Watch every episode: • Moon Shot
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[@leonesperanza3672]

100 years ago: yey we created a material so strong it will change the world. Now: Goddammit why is it too strong.

[@jasonchiu272]

Suffering from success

[@originalketchup7498]

Literally why we need to be careful developing this tech, today's miracle is tomorrow's bane

[@kilx81]

100 years from now: why did we make a super bacteria that eats all plastic in 5 mins

[@falcy2889]

@I Love Democracy Viktor Orban loves democracy even more than you do

[@_mossy_8520]

Cdw

[@eklim2034]

"used for a minute, stays in the environments for thousand years"

[@nine2380]

Not really, without plastics they will die off, also as long us it doesn't affect the environment negatively. It's fine.

[@cindixgaming3557]

@@nine2380 I thought this person was talking about the plastic

[@nine2380]

@@cindixgaming3557 You know what, I think he is.

[@Vedrajrm]

Only if you put it there

[@DanielW607]

@@nine2380 you must be a delusional Trump supporter if you think plastics don’t affect the environment negatively 🤦🏻‍♂️

[@elck3]

People don’t understand how much plastic is already inside each of us.

[@abhishekdev353]

scary but true

[@kody1654]

The average person eats one credit card of plastic a week.

[@amritsingh4251]

The average person consumes a laptop worth of plastic in a year.

[@vtr279]

Where does it come from - and how does our bodies deal with it?

[@bigfatstupidfish2397]

I used to work a temp job at a lab where they wanted to modify the microorganisms in the humn body to enhance digestion and being able to process plastic was mentioned.

[@seansola6708]

Bloomberg: "Could plastic-eating bacteria save the planet?" Kardashians: *Heavy Breathing*

[@unrealgalaxy9669]

LMAOO

[@m_sedziwoj]

Problem is, that they don't want bacteria to eat plastic, they want synthetic enzyme to get patent and make money. They could make this without nature, but they take current version and try sell it, not let natural selection to get better one.

[@vtr279]

@Eduard Medrea I love the way your brain 🧠 works, Ed!

[@saltymcsaltface]

MIGHTY

[@shahidkarim9910]

@Eduard Medrea of course I do why wouldn’t I?! It’s for the environment it’s for the better

[@antoniorsoftware]

Fix the cause, not the symptom. Packaging needs to be fundamentally changed, so it is easier to sort using machines and recycle.

[@wolfvale7863]

Itty bitty item. HUGE plastic blister pack.

[@Sunnykr275]

Plastic is I think cheap to make and for packaging Preferring any other would take a lot of money and hard to make people buy it

[@stefan_popp]

How about fixing the cause _and_ the symptom? We'd also like to get rid of all the waste already out there.

[@Yetipfote]

I think everything needs to change constantly.

[@superspider64]

Yeah but what about the plastic already out there?

[@Keeblor]

We are so lucky that there are still ways to undo all the damage we have caused. Simply put nature is amazing.

[@KisrDeveloper]

At the end he said it's not possible btw

[@eheboi9278]

Yes but if damage is being done faster than we can undo it then it's still a problem

[@OpiumBride]

@@irene-pak No need for extinction, human population will reduce due to the consequences of our actions : global warming will wipe out 50% of the world population. We cannot sustain all these humans on the planet, not enough farm land to feed everyone...or forests enough to tear down to build apartments, not enough oil, not enough fresh water, not enough resources to sacrifice for the infinite greed of humans.

[@m_sedziwoj]

If someone make plastic, it should be required by law, to take same amount from marker and recycling it. Economics will do rest.

[@terramater]

Plastic eating bacteria would be a very exciting development! And due to the fact the humans are really not the best at reducing plastic, we would definitely need such a thing: An estimated 359 mio tons of plastic is produced annually worldwide, with at least 150 mio tons of it sitting in landfills or in the environment. Once prized for their durability, plastics may take up to 450 years (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) to degrade in the ocean, if they do at all. Much of it breaks down into tiny shards known as microplastics that have been found in marine life, ocean water & in the guts of humans.

[@melvinjansen2338]

I dont understand... its very easy to recycle plastic.. why give it as food

[@starboysuniverse9956]

hey instead of putting these guys everywhere why not build a safe space where we put all the plastic for them to eat because am scared this could result to something far worst than expected

[@dru4670]

@@starboysuniverse9956 I also see the same. Don't understand why no one is talking about. Our gadgets will start rotting 😂 before our eyes.

[@audigit]

It’s not going to happen in this client lifetime. Our client lifestyle is based on narcissistic ownership of wealth. No thoughts of our future as a species. No thought of what comes after. Just intriguing links to companies making money. No real future. I’m fine with this. Billions of creatures die. You’ll die pretty soon.

[@prableenkaur4376]

I will tell you one fact and that is the amount of plastic that we have is lots and lots of food for the plastic eating bacteria and consequently it will grow it's population at a very unnatural rate. This will help the bacteria in lots and lots of mutation in them. So you see it may be possible that in one of those mutations their may be one that will affect human beings at the scale of a superbug and it will spread in its neighbouring niche and cause havoc there. So our best and natural solution is degradable plastic. And the enzyme will also work if it is mass produced.

[@kirankumarsukumar]

Every person in this planet should start using less plastic as much as possible.

[@nicknolty3784]

or how about your country stop throwing it in the ocean?

[@youarelife3437]

@@nicknolty3784 LOL. Rivers actually. In India they put plastic wastes and chemicals in their own holy rivers.

[@mohamedsunookh2319]

@@nicknolty3784 or how bout u dont use it so much so your country dosent have to throw anything in the ocean? dont blame the country for what u do

[@prakharmishra3000]

@@nicknolty3784 how is someone supposed to do that? Shoot someone if they throw the trash in ocean?

[@prakharmishra3000]

@@youarelife3437 holy my ass, those rivers are so poisonous I'd rather swim in a sewer than swimming in Ganga. Some distant relative of mine died from some ceramic entering his system and liver failure.

[@VantaBlackSheep]

Can they eat Instagram models?

[@carminelupertazzijr3512]

Lmao 🤣🤣🤣

[@ToneyCrimson]

Yes.

[@AceCmbatguy25]

Lmfao

[@Haxerous]

Unfortunately No. Big Sad.

[@Haxerous]

@Slicksicle 🤷

[@craigavoncheddzone1174]

I've only heard about this recently and i think there is also a huge oppurtunity to enlist local fisherman and sea divers to collect the plastic in the ocean and to also create special nets aroud certain key lakes.

[@greenberyl]

We are way beyond micro solutions like that.

[@Aschraffff]

If it's expensive to recycle, then just make plastic more expensive in the first place but forcing producers and importers to pay for the cost of recycling.

[@nuxli6454]

Biodigradeble Plastic is the only solution. NormPlastic has to be forbiden. And in the sane time U get rid of it. By bacteria or wathever. Thats the only way. Or not? Do U agnolige this fact? We can create Computers as Smart and also smal as our Hands. We can make rockets that land again by themself. We can create selfdriving electric cars. Much more secure then ever. But to forbit NormPlastic AND only allow Biodigradeble Plastic is IMPOSIBLE 🙅 SO WE DESERVE THE PLASTIC IN OUR BLOOD. CHECK DOCU PLASTICWORLD from Austria

[@Aschraffff]

@@nuxli6454 I was just suggesting making it more expensive to encourage recycling, not outright ban. That being said, some single use plastic will be banned in the EU soon and I think that's a positive step. For the rest, I believe we need a mixture of recycling and biodegradable plastic.

[@f.emirli6027]

@@nuxli6454 I been just reading about how biodigradeble plastic is not the solution, because it is biodegradible in the lab but not in the environmental conditions. It a label that is not realistic. If we are gonna use biodegradible products we still need to better at collecting the trash and disposing in dedicated places.

[@emperorpicard6474]

@@nuxli6454 The problem with a biodegradable plastic is that one of the main reasons we use plastic is precisely because it is not biodegradable.

[@almamater489]

@@nuxli6454 biodegradeable, but not really

[@landahans1038]

-70 years ago: We found plastic, a super material that can become anything - Now: Plastic is our problem, but we found plastic-eating bacteria - 70 years later: These bacteria are the reason of human destruction. Imagine them mutating and eating everything plastic

[@jonathanodude6660]

we made plastic. plastic wasnt found. the chemistry to make it sure, but the material and its properties were not a discovery, they were an invention.

[@alexxans1154]

human damage is likely, human destruction is very unlikely. These things don't survive outside of the lab as mentioned in the video.

[@cinemasurge1851]

I mean you can just disinfect the plastic and you will be fine

[@dprphoto]

Someone came up with this over 25 years ago on Tomorrow's world but nothing came off it.

[@unbreakableldorado7723]

One of the most important projects in the world

[@animespace9564]

This was the most scientifically "explained by a expert video" that I watched in a while

[@OutOfNameIdeas2]

This is incredible

[@Universum.]

This is scary! Just think of how many water pipes are plastic, how many electronics, plastic is a part of our everyday lives. Bacteria that can eat plastic unchecked would be devastating to our way of life and could very likely be far worse for the environment as we try to find a solution to a unstoppable bacteria that's eating away our infrastructure.

[@BosonCollider]

There's also the Swedish solution: ban landfills. Try hard to recycle, but burn everything that would end up in a landfill, using liquid oxygen instead of air to increase the temperature and get complete combustion without any associated NOx in the exhaust.

[@samrudhik8757]

I actually think this is targeting the symptom and not the cause. When I moved to UK and then visited US, I realised just how vulgar the level of abundance is in these countries and the level of plastic dependency. For the tiniest product, there is layers of plastic packaging.. and don't even get me started on their obsession with wrapping perishable items in plastic. Cutting down on just that will help so much. Single use plastic can easily be eliminated if the rich first world could be open minded about it.

[@shasmi93]

Yeah but we don’t generally throw out trash in the street and environment. Places like India, Philippines, ect. Use TONS of plastic and their citizens just throw it in streams and the ocean.... that’s the real issue here

[@samrudhik8757]

Oh and where do you think the plastic waste from USA ends up? Does it vanish into thin air? If we consider USA and the amount of things that are produced in USA and exported to different parts of the world, it has the single largest environmental impact. News flash: just because on a micro level there is no litter on your roads, it doesn't mean that the entire recycling system is just as efficient. USA is also infamous for burning it's plastic which contributes significantly to the global warming as well dumping very much by design tonnes of plastic into the ocean. Also, if we consider the per capita carbon footprint in the rich first world countries and compare it to the countries you have named, that does not make for a pretty picture. So own up, educate yourself and stop blaming this solely on the shoulders of population that are still struggling with basic necessities while the privileged minority enjoy triple packed goods and discuss capitalism and climate change.

[@baronvillanueva8097]

@Boodysaspie It's not racist to state a fact. Most of the trash in the ocean does come from these few poor countries.

[@debbiehenri345]

@Boodysaspie I just bought a bulk load of powdered coconut milk instead. The outer carton is cardboard with a foil inner packet, the powder making up a great deal more than you could ever fit into one of those mixed board cartons. Dried coconut milk (have to have it, as a family member recently became allergic to cow's milk) is easy to make up, tastes better than cow's, and it is working out cheaper than those ready-to-pour carton milks. It doesn't go off quite so quickly either. I understand your reaction regarding the 5p carrier bag cost. The charge slowed things down in Scotland for about a fortnight I think, then people quickly got used to paying for a new set of carriers each time they went to the supermarket. 5p is nothing for a plastic carrier bag - meanwhile, Morrison's charge 25p for a 'paper' bag! Now, isn't that just the wrong way around?

[@Ansh77K]

@Boodysaspie am indian can confirm he's not being racist in any way

[@DZ48994]

The only obvious solution, is to reduce the level of plastic used for packaging.

[@hplus1]

unfortunately impossible. the greedy CEOs will never allow this

[@MrNote-lz7lh]

@@hplus1 More like the greedy consumers.

[@hplus1]

@@MrNote-lz7lh that too i guess but for some people that's all they have and are able to afford

[@betterffd]

Recently discovered? I recall a high school or college student discovering this almost 10 years ago....

[@KurenaiKimitsu]

the plastic eating bacteria was discovered in 2016/Japan. And "recent" is subjective. For the scientific community that is still considered recent. Science, research, and publishing results of these studies takes a long time.

[@_mossy_8520]

10 20 years is recent in terms of science

[@atulpj]

Important topic.. Thank you

[@alf3926]

What if the bacteria gets out of control and starts eating all our household appliances lol

[@alphatucana]

Exactly. We have here, again, the same issue: so-called 'experts' not thinking ahead.

[@karupt422]

Ringworld

[@RedRanchu]

Lol what makes you think this is a household product? Ofc they would apply this to recycling plants where millions of tons of plastic are aggregated.

[@alphatucana]

@@RedRanchu The idea is that the bacteria could escape into the wild, and begin eating plastic wherever it occurs - potentially making plastic unusable if it shortens its effective life by much. A lot of infrastructure depends on it, like electrical insulation - everything would have to be replaced with cotton or some other fibre for insulation, perhaps. Many products would be irreplaceable without plastics.

[@littlechemie5425]

@@alphatucana You didn't pay attention to the video, did you? They would only use the enzyme(s) that produced by those bacteria to break those plastic down. Bacteria stay in the labs/factories. Eventually, we can figure out how to make those enzyme(s) artificially and if that makes economical sense, we don't have anymore use of that bacteria.

[@MrWeedco]

you can always count on nature, even when we say not possible, nature knows possible

[@a.yashwanth]

0:52 imagine the plastic you used ended up in the ocean and killed the poor seal.💀💀💀

[@carljhirst]

Dolphin no?

[@sunso1991]

imagine the tuna/salmon/shrimp you ate once was a lively creature until it died for your consumption.💀💀💀

[@wip1664]

How do plastic ... and so much ... end up in the ocean?

[@a.yashwanth]

@@wip1664 rivers. so much waste is dumped in rivers.

[@wip1664]

@@a.yashwanth got it. Need to keep the general population away from rivers.

[@idk_3669]

It’s interesting to hear more about such topics, especially when i wanted to do a school project with I. sakaiensis once...

[@petergambier]

Thanks for posting this interesting topic BQ. Basically speaking, unless we can make the enzymes economic there is no way that these 2 enzy's are going to save the world. I was thinking of a bacteria that eats plastic like the ones eating up the metal of the Titanic. How many enzymes are needed to eat a plastic cup and how long would it take? There are a few alternatives like potato starch or industrial hemp. In 1900's America it was compulsory for farmers to grow the stuff. All the navy ships of WW1 used hemp rope for their rigging. I really hope the person filming the ocean plastic at the start helped the trapped sea-horse out of the bag.

[@AirikAmandar]

Thanks you. I can sleep better now.

[@Lemonz1989]

It would be pretty interesting to see if bacteria actually develop an effective ability to eat plastic, so all our plastic products would rot, like other biological materials. "Dammit, I got water on my phone and now it's rotting away!" xD

[@Ahmad24056]

If such a thing happens then plastic will lose its value

[@johnfoster1580]

There are bacteria in the depth of landfills that are evolving to digest car batteries. Have faith in the power of life

[@lancetheking7524]

@@johnfoster1580 what next, a bacteria that infects the entire planet and damages the economy of multiple countries?

[@eggrollsoup]

@@Ahmad24056 maybe a bacteria that only thrives in sea water, but even then, platic would still be useful for most things.

[@lucaslevinsky8802]

@@johnfoster1580 but but, they are made of ion-lithium

[@sunlimited268]

nature: fine, I'll do it myself.

[@Apollo949]

There was a sci-fi book I read called Mutant 59: The Plastic Eater that caused havoc so be careful what you wish for. Planes were falling out of the sky, trains crashing, power stations exploding etc, so I recommend reading this book because a runaway plastic eater could destroy civilisation.

[@meepbeep2464]

i have been looking for a scifi books lately and this sounds perfect! but when I searched for it all that comes up is NFTs and Teenage mutant ninja turtles

[@meepbeep2464]

any chances you could tell me how to get a book?

[@meepbeep2464]

I think I found it but it's called Mutant *59* : The Plastic Eater.

[@Apollo949]

@@meepbeep2464 Yes, that's it.

[@aadityasah6090]

What if bacteria got out of control and started eating important plastic stuffs which are still in use?

[@offthewall9988]

then pls wear cotton underwear with cotton draw-string like we did before elastic was invented. suck in that gut and PULL!

[@tracywoodson496]

Where is the balance of using this plastic eating bacteria? Does this bacteria have a natural predator to keep it in control?

[@LeanlovesLain143]

Humans can create powerful objects that to the point they can't undo what they've done

[@isbarhab9814]

9:19 The dude sounds like the T-3000 if ya know what I’m talking about

[@mrinaltayal2044]

Conclusion - let's ban single use plastic

[@andrewkiminhwan]

bloomberg makes the best youtube content...wow

[@user-qw2zb8ye5u]

This is a great news👏

[@GreenAppelPie]

Why am I separating my garbage when it’s not getting recycled anyway. It really does take about an 30-60 minutes weekly to separate and prep my recyclables.

[@lamebubblesflysohigh]

It is most likely being incinerated. If you do not separate it, it may end up in a landfill. Incineration > landfill

[@AnishKumar-es1xr]

Please keep doing it. Separate your recyclables. every bit helps in raising awareness. don't take step back a step forward by starting to reduce the use of plastic form your life. try reusable materials and items. thanks for your service to the environment and our planet.

[@chillerchill9784]

Human of late capitalism

[@royalteluis623]

@@lamebubblesflysohigh it still gets incinerated even if it is recycle on occasion the main reason for this is that recycling is not profitable

[@lamebubblesflysohigh]

@@royalteluis623 yes that is my point... if it is separated and it is not recycled it is likely to be incinerated which is better than ending up in the landfill

[@marko-lazic]

3:05 ladno Zaječarsko i Prolom voda :)

[@darksideoftheforce7801]

I am not feared of plastics, it's the microplastics to be more afraid of

[@iLoveTurtlesHaha]

which is plastic. Duh!

[@MaxBrix]

I'm not afraid of fire, I just hate my house burning down.

[@lifemusic2029]

Plastic eating bacteria isn’t the FINAL solution for our BAD behavior

[@stitches768]

It could be a step in the right direction though

[@william052007]

@@stitches768 no u got a point

[@fayafshar]

Amazing

[@garyfinneyfrock8002]

What about plant-based biodegradable plastics, Hemp?

[@cherrymaison7846]

Hemp can't supply whole world. But potato, grain, apple or even one guy in Russia made plastic out of fallen tree leaves.

[@thetaomega7816]

Easy to say but nobody willing to pay a premium of 10x

[@cherrymaison7846]

@@thetaomega7816 Government will pay tax for that and plastic using companies.

[@duuet5614]

@@thetaomega7816 every solution is easy to say, what is this comment?

[@CarsCatAliens]

We will never use bio plastics on a large scale.. Plastic is made using Petroleum products. There is too much money that oil produces. And the people who are higher level of Oil/ petroleum production aren't the most environmentally with their thinking. Only money in their cares..

[@leobuckey]

It sounds exciting but a lot of invasive species started as solutions to problems. What are the side effects?

[@haroldinho9930]

People with plastic surgery

[@sm3675]

Contain the bacteria in a closed enviornment.

[@soirema]

@@sm3675 imposible

[@dylanmasterguy]

we need to go full throttle with this!

[@89qwyg9yqa34t]

Where do you suppose all of that carbon goes when it's digested? Don't we already have a greenhouse problem that we need to fix before trying to figure out how to release plastic's carbon back into our environment?

[@dylanmasterguy]

@@89qwyg9yqa34t so what do you recommend we do?

[@89qwyg9yqa34t]

@@dylanmasterguy Wait until we have solved the greenhouse situation before deciding to dump plastic into our air would be a better solution than not waiting. At least on the ground, it's just an eyesore and not something that's going to help turn us into a Venusian hellscape.

[@dylanmasterguy]

@@89qwyg9yqa34t it really is a sickening eyesore, just so unfortunate us humans have to do everything in excess

[@89qwyg9yqa34t]

@@dylanmasterguy I'm not at all bothered by it and if we're to be fair, I'm not at all bothered by the idea of a runaway greenhouse problem that ends humanity. That'll be after I'm long gone, but if we really want to say that we care about our environment, you know, for the whales and such, the greenhouse situation is a bit more dire.

[@shahnawazkhan100]

We see lots of video, article on the solution caused by plastic but we never see any implementation on the ground, why I don't know but yes these videos give some hope.

[@TehxHope]

As long as that plastic-eating bacteria doesn’t make it’s way into our food sources (plants or animals)

[@evdm7482]

Says the plastic man

[@thetaomega7816]

Why not? It eats plastic, not humans

[@gicharu]

This might be a great way of solving the current plastic problem. To make the bacteria more effective, I think genetic modification can be used on them. This would make them faster and more effective at this and might finally represent a real solution against the plastic menace, especially in the high seas.

[@greenberyl]

The video covered that. It said that the genetically engineered plastic did not survive in the real world.

[@shivamb.3973]

The problem is not how to destroy plastic but how to first separate plastic from the rest of the waste

[@charlesbrightman4237]

Consider the following: Tesla found out that various materials have an energy frequency associated with it and by matching the energy frequency, can break materials apart. Sooooo, possibly find the various energy frequencies for the various materials, and basically vibrate them apart.

[@user-xi4jn8xh4l]

Hemp plastic = the completely biodegradeable plastic that we should be using but don't.

[@baha3alshamari152]

Too expensive

[@CHMichael]

Why so complicated? Cant sell non recyclable, have to be able to take back pckaging. ( it actually works)

[@quattrocity9620]

Not all recyclable plastics are suited for all tasks.

[@nathanael3500]

@@quattrocity9620 that's, very true.

[@TheBooban]

@@quattrocity9620 then use waxed paper. Glass. Aluminum. Whatever. Solutions are easy. Its our politicians.

[@quattrocity9620]

@@TheBooban ultimitately it comes to economics. We lived without any plastic at once point in time. To not use non-recyclable plastic, would require a sacrifice (ease of use, performance, more expensive products, or even poorer quality products in some cases). Whenever there is sacrifice for something everyone uses (the materials or the money that comes with replacing that material) there will be backlash. Not an argument against change, it's just that you can't exactly blame politicians if they are carrying out the wishes of their constituents (or likely whoever funds their campaigns).

[@TheBooban]

@@quattrocity9620 "or likely whoever funds their campaigns" There you go, big businesses. It's not about constituents. Almost everyone is against plastic except where it's most necessary. It's a sacrifice people are willing to make. But it's not on the politicians to do list. Easiest is just to tax it so it's only used in the most important areas.

[@delldirks3726]

This scares the crap out of me. Now that humans and animals have so much plastic inside them I am worried the bacteria would end up hurting us.

[@marlinray6831]

Taxing plastic production by the pound could both fund research into solving the problem and provide incentive to industry to fund a solution before the economy finds alternatives.

[@MissesWitch]

To be honest, I'm worried about this thing getting out of control. Just imagine your keyboard, monitor, mouse, car handles and anything else that uses plastic starts deteriorating and rotting. That would just be the worst thing ever, We'd just be set back thousands of years and have to buy new products every week.

[@studiogreyfox1226]

I prefer that over having no solution for plastic pollution, there's always alternative material like keyboard with wooden keys or maybe metal... It's actually an easy problem to adapt to

[@jmillet214]

i prefer that rather than having micro plastics in my body

[@misaelolvera2996]

Great content 👌what do you think about pyrogenesis and some of the amazing work done with funguses in order to replace plastics you should do some videos on that 🤐. I believe it is a combination of these technology's that will finally save the world, 🧐 self-sustainability is possible 🤗

[@matts8791]

Very cool

[@Bbonno]

Imagine the disruption a plastic-eating mold could cause, even if its as slow as wood consuming molds...

[@SapioiT]

Of course Bloomberg is going to ignore Thermal Depolimerization. Basically, plastics are shreded into smaller parts, then are introduced with water into pressurized tanks, where they are subjected to high pressure and high temperature, and they get gas, oil, water, and carbon (ash) out of it, then use those to make fuel, plastics, and whatever else they want.

[@zedrhyx1788]

Not everyone is doing it or afford to do it

[@SapioiT]

@@zedrhyx1788 But they completely ignored the possibility. Let's not forget that green energy can be used for thermal depolimerization, to recycle all kinds of plastics at the same time, without even needing to filter them beforehand. And the greenest energy out there is nuclear energy, which is much safer nowadays than any other type of energy, including wind and solar power. Wind and solar power have more deaths per Megawatt than nuclear power, and modern reactors are almost impossible to release radiation in the wild, like the decades-old reactors of yestercentury.

[@zedrhyx1788]

@@SapioiT go ask you government instead of people in the comments section

[@SapioiT]

​@@zedrhyx1788 As if asking my government is going to make it happen. Maybe in countries which aren't the puppet-states of first-world-countries changes can happen like that, but aside for a handful of countries, things don't happen that easily.

[@spiritualnoob8237]

Even though we see the consequences now, I wonder if they thought at the time of invention that they had stumbled upon a miracle material with uses in all fields

[@wip1664]

Glad it was invented. Too bad we keep abusing/exploiting our inventions...to great limits. And then blame the invention, which does not have a mind or a will like us. No wonder the "advance civilizations" chose our inventions over us.

[@Kajetan995]

Problem is also the dominance and power of the petrochemical industry. In many European countries recycling is for a huge part organised and financed by the packaging industry. How will they ever develop a recycling process that will compete against there own products?

[@dotdenier]

Is there any update on this?

[@TheTarrMan]

What if the bacteria escapes and starts eating all plastics?

[@prakharmishra3000]

Spray all your plastics with sanitizer, there's an escape of plastic eating bacteria. It's a Pandemic.

[@abhishekdev353]

soap?

[@prakharmishra3000]

@R. Schowiada71 you understood what he meant? If yes then no correction is needed.

[@rhizomania7607]

It is the enzyme from a bacteria that breaks down plastic (PET to be specific). That is what was repurposed and made in the lab, the enzyme, not the bacteria, so it could not spread and cause a pandemic. Enzymes aren't living things, think of soaps like the one exemplified in the video.

[@prakharmishra3000]

@@rhizomania7607 I'm being theoretical, let's just assume they made bacteria that used the enzyme to decompose the plastic and it goes out of containment. How terrifying would it be

[@diemengem3819]

We should penalize all plastic creators and make them pay and clean up the mess and switch to a biodegradable version

[@jackbenimblejack1]

hahhahahahah gl with that...its too late now to do it... imagine cleaing the ocean and rivers of plastic everywhere... never gonna happen

[@nuxli6454]

Biodigradeble Plastic ist the only solution. NormPlastic has to be forbiden. And in the sane time U get rid of it. By bacteria or wathever. Thats the only way. Or not? Do U agnolige this fact?

[@user-we7xo7st5i]

Why penalize the producers rather than those who throw it into the rivers/ocean?

[@diemengem3819]

@@user-we7xo7st5i the product is non recyclable so the landfills are overwhelmed with their products and they're not already inspired too watching the world suffer as they have become richer than necessary

[@jackbenimblejack1]

@@user-we7xo7st5i because its there name on the trash..

[@RedRanchu]

Ok so how fast of a decomposition process are we talking about and where will the by products be used?

[@charlesalexander8099]

I have a few question, if plastic is now in the food chain what’s stopping the bacteria from getting in the fish that we eat. If we eat the fish that has that bacteria in it what would happen to us? How does this bacteria work with PFAS or forever chemicals?

[@abhishekdev353]

Petrochemicals are actually hydrocarbons produced by microbes living many kilometers deep inside earth. So it makes sense that bacteria can break them up.

[@oigioioivn]

The planet doesn't need saving. WE need to be saved. I would support the whole environmental movement more if they can get their objectives right.

[@ThomasBomb45]

The environmental movement is all about humans... climate change affects humans. Plastic waste affects humans. Loss of biodiversity affects humans

[@wip1664]

There is no way (aside from a true miracle) and no time to reverse what is. Seriously, does anyone really think that any human left on this planet 450 years from now will resemble anything close to humanity. People are watching too many sci-fi futuristic movies, thinking humans will one day walk around clad in metal breathing from an oxygen tank, or be reduced to a brain that sits there receiving and processing input. This world is shutting down. No one can offer a written proof of this assumption. But anyone with sense and knowledge would somewhat agree. So whoever is here today, continue to live as responsibility as possible meaning we don't have to try to eliminate plastic usage but should reduce and dispose in a way that is least detrimental to all existing life. A lot has to do with human error/carelessness and laziness, that the waters are strangling marine life. We breathe in a lot of junk, we are exposed to the elements (ie the sun can cause cancer), we are bombarded with electric/magnetic particles, etc. Therefore I am not alarmed by miniscule plastic particles that can end up inside me, as long as it is not disruptive to my health and wellness. I may be less healthier than ideal, but it is a sign of the times. People can get sick, or suffer from illnesses in many ways.

[@wip1664]

@@irene-pak years ago mercury in fish was a foreboding sign. Pregnant women should not consume, and others can limit consumption. There are many paths to take in the reduction of ocean pollution. But none will reverse what already is. You can only reverse a trend, but not the reality. Stay safe and well, also our ocean friends. We and our ocean friends won't live forever.

[@klsztsu850]

There is a possibility that one day the bacteria would be wide-spread, which ends up with the situation that plastic could no longer make its way from the factory to the consumer, and we will call it 'the nature fought back'.

[@moonlight-hm4bh]

Then we would fucking use it less, as we should be doing right now

[@klsztsu850]

@@moonlight-hm4bh Yeah, we should use plastic less, much less than what we are doing now. But in fact, plastic is not only used in single-use product. Nobody will want to replace their repeated use PEP water bottle with an 3003 aluminium one, after they have a look at aluminium's carbon footprint. That's why I am not entirely in line with this bacteria.

[@emerconghaile4902]

Wow, some poggers news for once. This is awesome.

[@youarelife3437]

Could politician/royalty/banker/CEO - eating bacteria save the planet? - YES

[@gottfriedking]

If they can eat plastics, what else can they eat?🤔

[@davidmccarthy6061]

They won't be contained. They'll be everywhere, splashing onto your car for example and accelerating it breaking down. PVC pipes in the ground. Lot's of unintended consequences.

[@duuet5614]

@@davidmccarthy6061 can we have a source for this or did you just think of this?

[@richardprichard7917]

A organism cant just change what it eats on a whim

[@oddlysatisfiedviewer8568]

Yes

[@Me97202]

Can you imagine if this went badly and the bacteria started eating plastics everywhere? Not just the trash.

[@vtr279]

Sounds like a great way to ruin my ex's doublewide siding!! Where can I get some in a sprayable?

[@vaclavcervinka65]

That is actually terrible news! If those bacteria spread, it can put our whole civilisation in danger. Just imagine our clothes, mobile phones, food packaging, medical equipment etc. suddenly decomposing!

[@rhizomania7607]

It's the enzyme that has been remade in the lab not the bacteria. Enzymes cannot spread and evolve like bacterias do.

[@vaclavcervinka65]

@@rhizomania7607 If I understand it correctly, the bacteria produces the enzyme for itself so it can use it to process the carbon-based plastics molecules into sugars which it uses for its own nutrition. This seems to be a pretty neat evolutionary niche in which the bacteria lacks competitions and therefore we can expect it to spread like wildfire. That's my conjecture anyway.

[@owendavies8227]

Keep it clean and dry, and it won't decompose. There are bacteria that break down wood, but our houses don't rot unless there is a hole in the roof.

[@lakeman4228]

Is there a donation area to ramp up the progress of making the plastic eating enzymes commercial and or economical available

[@DRDaily-rosebud]

Depends on how the bacteria performs post plastic. There are always consequences to our actions...ALWAYS!

[@tomstopper5281]

As usual the big business companies have made millions on selling us plastic wrapped items and food, but we are to blame for using it. Make them pay for cleaning it up.

[@morningstar9285]

First you say that WE are to blame, and then you say that we have to make THEM pay? If we wouldn't buy it, they wouldn't sell it, they weren't forcing you to buy their products.

[@tomstopper5281]

@Morningstar Please, at least say something intelligent. If you live in a mega city you certainly can’t go to the market to buy organic fruit every day. Who allowed supermarkets to dominate the food supply? Honestly, please shut up!

[@morningstar9285]

@@tomstopper5281 all I am saying that they are not the only one to blame here. Stop buying their products, or stop whining.

[@morningstar9285]

@@tomstopper5281 and it's not like you said anything intelligent in your first comment. You literally asking them to pay while accepting the fact that you are at fault here, for using the products.

[@MemesnShet]

Sorry could you tell me whats the song? 6:58

[@Love_story_in_Hindi]

Nice 😊 video 📸

[@priyankaraina969]

Nice to hear but the complications follows..

[@n3v3rg01ngback]

I like the idea, but how much carbon dioxide do they put out while gobbling plastic?

[@marcelodepolo5]

They don't. These bacterias have "pumps" that translocate the molecules generated from breaking the PET to the cytoplasm, and then used as building blocks. In summary, the PET is actualy used as a carbon source for the bacteria to grow and replicate.

[@mrs210]

How do you control it ? From eating fabrics,containers and packaging?

[@MaxBrix]

Your car rots after it rains. Your phone starts to smell like rotten food unless you keep it in salt.

[@abhishekgore8974]

We still need to learn so much from nature, nature alway comes with a solution to problems it face without harming any counterpart

[@abhishekdev353]

Petrochemicals are actually hydrocarbons produced by microbes living many kilometers deep inside earth. So it makes sense that bacteria can break them up.

[@shodaqoh7x819]

what the name of plant with that white flower in that portray video? Anyone know?

[@angelene990]

How about going back to glass, paying people for them. Some states don't do that, for bags how about reusable bags. Which we have now.

[@xiaoka]

That works for glass and bags. But what about everything else?

[@jmatt98]

Why are you taking about states when 90% of plastic is coming from Asia?

[@wolfvale7863]

Yeah John M we shouldn't consider doing anything until China does. That would be too mature and intellectually forward thinking for the States.

[@ujjvalchauhan6628]

The problem isn't plastic consumption, it's plastic disposal. The focus has to be on how to dispose and store plastic waste without it contaminating the local environment.

[@ayroncbiju2880]

I really hope this works

[@Xainfinen]

Anyone know the name of the intro music?

[@satyasubhash8869]

Could we create an even bigger problem by unleashing a synthetic bacteria while trying to solve a problem like plastic...🤔 Once we let them into the environment, we won't have any control over them...

[@wolfvale7863]

Just the enzyme Not the bacteria

[@petermeyer6873]

"Could Plastic-Eating Bacteria Save The Planet?" Well, human-eating bacteria sure could.

[@duggydugg3937]

whaddaya think mandatory injections are all about ?

[@pietersteenkamp5241]

What would the purpose of saving the planet if not for humanity? Should i presume you mean it should eat 'certain people' and should i then risk a presumption?

[@petermeyer6873]

​@@pietersteenkamp5241 The anthropocentric world view is the root of the problem - humans are by far not the noblest of creatures.

[@pietersteenkamp5241]

@@petermeyer6873Since we are the only 'life form' on the planet which we can even ascribe something like nobility to i don't really understand what you are trying to say? Who can we possible be saving the planet for but Human beings and failing that what would be the point? I would go further and say that if we can't save it for everyone including the poorest billions then that is quite deliberate and ideologically motivated.

[@petermeyer6873]

@@pietersteenkamp5241 So, you dont understand and disagree, well, even though the first makes the second a little problematic in terms of logic. I see your standpoint and am going to leave you there. Just one litte hint: The fact, that one species is capable of understanding the concept of nobility doesnt imply, that this species acts accordingly. On the other hand, another species can be designed to act noble without comprehending the concept at all. Nobility, in that regard, is behaviouristic.

[@MrLoobu]

This is also why an individual piece of fruit now costs more than plastic packaging for the entire crate lol. We are starving ourselves slowly at both ends of every supply chain.

[@goddesslotus1379]

I've seen 0 waste stores you put their products in dispensers and the customers come with their own containers and they only end up paying for the product while the company saves money because they're not making any containers for their products ITS SO EASY

[@DrBrunoRecipes]

Plastic is everywhere. Hope plastic eating bacteria can help us. 😍 It has so many uses yet it is so dangerous to the planet

[@20_percent]

Did yone else just randomly find this video and say oh ok

[@bahiraluna]

Ok, excellent idea, no doubt. But what if it spends and starts eating new plastic? I mean goods made out of plastic, says automobil parts?

[@leky1325]

Now that we have found plastic eating bacteria, please also locate toxic waste drinking and smog inhaling bacteria.

[@prakharmishra3000]

Invest more in this research rather than cramming up more transistors in a processor.

[@abhishekdev353]

You spoke my mind.