Plastic-eating microbes found in the Alps and Arctic

Scientists from the Swiss Federal Institute WSL have discovered microbes in the Alps and Arctic that can digest plastic at low temperatures. The researchers sampled 19 strains of bacteria and 15 of fungi growing on free-lying or intentionally buried plastic in Greenland, Svalbard, and Switzerland. The best performers were two uncharacterized fungal species in the genera Neodevriesia and Lachnellula, which were able to digest all of the tested plastics except polyethylene. The discovery could help reduce the costs and environmental burden of an enzymatic recycling process for plastic.