Could an enzyme save the world?

Could an enzyme save the world? An incredible bacteria that is made to eat plastic.

An enzyme called, Ideonella sakaiensis, that actually lives on eating plastic bottles. These plastic bottles can take up to 450 years to degrade. After all of these years this dumping of plastic bottles has caused a major pollution problem.

Unfortunately, littering has been around for years even though it is actually illegal. The act of littering happens most when people are on the go and moving around. Nowadays people live a very active life, in fact this generation runs off of stress. People make the excuses that they may not have time, that they have kids and so on. There is no excuse for polluting.

This plastic eating enzyme can change the plastic bottle back into its first form in only a few days. Governments have been trying to ban most plastics in public places, like straws and cups. In many countries they only give away or sell paper straws. It has also become some sort of a trend to use metal straws, it looks fashionable and it helps the environment.

Scientists have created this in a bid to stop the increase of pollution. Nonetheless, it is still a relevant problem, plastic entering the seas are killing animals, and endangering them with some on the brink of becoming extinct. The plastic that goes into the ocean, although it takes hundreds of years it degrades quicker than plastics on land as the sea and sunlight break down the plastic. Which In fact, is just as dangerous for the animals surrounding the area.

PET is one of the main plastics that is used in the packaging of most household products. It has claimed to be one of the most recyclable however, it takes hundreds of years. The enzyme was able to break PET down, with the research they have conducted scientists will be able to make a more fitting enzyme, to use in everyday life.

Thank you for reading this article, “Could an enzyme save the world?”. We hope you enjoyed this article, as it could be the next step to saving the world from pollution! For more up-to-date and positive news, visit the Euro Weekly News website.