Scientists Found A Caterpillar That Eats Plastic. Could It Help Solve Our Plastic Crisis?
There are now more than 50 known species of ‘plastivores,’ or plastic-eating organisms. One of these, the greater wax moth, is offering scientists hope in the fight against plastic pollution.
Each year, humanity churns out some 300 million tons of plastic and ships it around the world before dropping it into landfills. And the problem doesn’t stop there. In the half-century since plastic exploded into our lives, tiny bits of it have spread through our oceans, our ecosystems and even our bodies. So far, humanity has struggled to get rid of it.