Two types of fungi commonly found in backyards can be used to break down one of the world's most stubborn plastics — and scientists say this discovery could be a significant step in addressing the recycling crisis.
It took 90 days for the fungi to degrade 27 per cent of the plastic tested, and about 140 days to completely break it down, after the samples were exposed to ultraviolet rays or heat.
Despite being recyclable, an estimated 13,500 tonnes of polypropylene ends up in Australian landfill every year because it is contaminated or mixed with other materials. Researchers will now try to make the degradation process faster and more efficient by tweaking key aspects of the process such as temperatures, the size of plastic particles and how much fungus is used."Or even sooner should the investment be ready and available for us to accelerate that," he said.Yes we could, according to environmental scientist Paul Harvey, an expert on global plastic pollution who was not involved in the research.
"We, as a country, don't seem to get the enormity of the plastic pollution problem that we are facing.
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