[Perspective] Feeding on plastic

An estimated 311 million tons of plastics are produced annually worldwide; 90% of these are derived from petrol. A considerable portion of these plastics is used for packaging (such as drinking bottles), but only ~14% is collected for recycling (1). Most plastics degrade extremely slowly, thus constituting a major environmental hazard (2), especially in the oceans, where microplastics are a matter of major concern (3). One potential solution for this problem is the synthesis of degradable plasti