“At the landfill” by Redwin Law licensed under CC BY 2.0

Source: CNN

Scientists at the Institute of Biomedicine and Biotechnology of Cantabria tested the plastic-eating wax worm to see how quickly it could eat through certain non-biodegradable plastics.

The wax worm, which is considered a pest in Europe because it disturbs bee colonies by eating their wax, could potentially help eat through plastics that are in landfills around the world, scientists say.

If in fact scientists can isolate a single enzyme that allows for the chemical process of the worm eating through the plastic, then they would be able to potentially reproduce it on a large scale to help solve environmental problems around plastic waste.

Read full story at: CNN