Plastic-Munching Bacteria Can Make Trash Biodegradable

A durable plastic called PET is considered a major environmental hazard because it's highly resistant to breakdown. Most plastic degrades extraordinarily slowly, but PET — short for poly(ethylene terephthalate) — is especially durable, and about 61 million tons (56 metric tons) of the colorless plastic was produced worldwide in 2013 alone, according to the researchers. Previously, the only species found to break down PET were rare fungi.