ICYMI, an exciting breakthrough has just been made by researchers in Australia. Naturally, it involves fungi. 

Scientists at the University of Sydney have discovered that two types of common mold—Aspergillus terreus and Engyodontium album—can break down plastic in approximately 140 days. "It's the highest degradation rate reported in the literature that we know in the world," says Ali Abbas, a chemical engineering professor at the University of Sydney. 

This is a critical discovery because plastic recycling is more or less a myth. Most plastic waste ends up in the garbage and ultimately landfills, regardless of the bin into which it’s discarded. And the problem is only getting worse. According to Greenpeace, plastic production is on track to triple by 2050. 

If plastic pollution only clogged landfills, this would be crisis enough, but plastic waste makes its way into the ocean to the tune of eight million tons per year, harming sea life and, eventually, human health as well. Over time, plastic waste breaks down into smaller particles called microplastics, which have been found everywhere in the world, from the highest mountain peak to the deepest ocean trough. These microplastics are in both our water and food supply, and while researchers don’t yet know the extent of the damage regularly ingesting petroleum-based products incurs on our health, scientists are increasingly concerned.

At present, there aren’t a lot of good solutions to this problem—burning plastic releases toxic pollutants and greenhouse gases into the air, for example—which is why this newly discovered fungi-fueled recycling process may be game-changing. The study’s scientists are working hard to find a way to scale it for commercial use, but they estimate research will take at least three to five years. 

Even if they find a way forward with this exciting new technology, Abbas maintains the importance of a cultural shift away from single-use plastic. "We need the behavioral issues, we need the social issues, we need the business issues, all of these need to be resolved around the plastics problem,” he says. “The technology is only half the solution."

To this end, replacing single-use plastic products with zero-waste items can help. Shop some of our faves below.

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