The “white tide” of plastic pellets, also known as nurdles, has been causing concern in Spain’s northern coast as they have been dumped by a Dutch-registered ship. Nurdles are a type of tiny plastic bead used to make a variety of plastics, and they can harm the environment and marine life. According to the Environmental Investigation Agency, these beads are a mixture of chemicals and can change the mix of microbial life in seawater, disrupting the food chain. Plastic waste is a significant problem, with over 171 trillion pieces of plastic floating in the oceans, and it is expected to triple by 2040. To combat this issue, genetic engineering can be used to create bacteria that can break down plastic and produce useful compounds. For example, E. coli bacteria can be engineered to digest polyethylene terephthalate (PET) plastics and convert them into a high-value industrial compound. However, there are regulatory barriers to implementing this technology, including the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) restrictive approach, which may slow down the development of this technology.
Microrganisms genetically modified to digest plastic could be the unlikely heroes in the fight to remove plastic waste from our oceans.
