Arctic and Alpine Microbes Could Solve Plastic Waste Crisis.

Scientists have discovered that microbes found in the Arctic and the Swiss Alps can break down biodegradable plastics at much lower temperatures than previously known. Researchers studied samples of bacteria and fungi growing on plastic in Greenland, the Norwegian Svalbard archipelago, and Switzerland and found that many of them could break down several biodegradable plastics at 59 degrees Fahrenheit. The discovery could offer a cooler alternative to current plastic recycling techniques that require high temperatures to set off chemical reactions. However, more research is needed to determine if the enzymes produced by these microbial strains could be used in an industrial process in the future.