Plastic is one of the most important materials of our time – and thanks to its recyclability, a key component of the circular economy. Now, a new pathway is opening up: the bio-recycling process, already familiar from organic waste treatment, can also be applied to plastic. It has the potential to complement conventional recycling methods and help specifically break down plastic waste that has entered the environment.

The Bio-Recyclers of the Future?

Scientists have discovered turbo-enzymes, power fungi, and super bacteria capable of breaking down plastics. One example is “Ideonella sakaiensis”, a bacterium that uses the enzymes PETase and MHETase to break PET down into its basic components[1]. Through targeted selection and optimization, enzyme variants can be used to significantly accelerate plastic degradation.

Fungi like “Parengyodontium album” or bacteria such as “Pseudomonas stutzeri” also show impressive degradation performance – even for plastic types that are currently hard to recycle[2]. These findings highlight the potential of bio-recycling to become an efficient and complementary strategy for dealing with plastic waste.

From Plastic to Painkiller

One particularly remarkable example comes from researchers at the University of Edinburgh. They developed genetically modified E. coli bacteria that can convert PET into paracetamol, a common pain and fever medication[3]. The entire process takes place at room temperature and produces virtually no CO₂ emissions – an environmentally friendly alternative to traditional paracetamol production.

These examples show that plastics can not only be broken down, but also transformed into valuable raw materials – cleanly, sustainably, and innovatively. Plastic can even give rise to entirely new microbial communities.

When Plastic Becomes a Bio-Platform

On the surfaces of plastic particles, so-called “plastispheres” emerge – tiny, human-made microbial habitats. Here, bacteria, fungi, and even small crustaceans settle. These microbes form complex structures and develop metabolic processes to break down plastic. At the same time, these particles create new habitats for insects and small animals in previously uninhabitable areas of the ocean[4].

Plastispheres offer insights into degradation processes and their potential for industrial-scale recycling – not only in the sea. For example, Switzerland’s WSL Institute for Snow and Avalanche Research is searching for bacteria and fungi in cold regions such as the Alps and the Arctic that can break down plastics. They’ve found a surprisingly large variety of microorganisms living on plastic surfaces. Some of these newly discovered cold-adapted bacteria and fungi can digest biodegradable plastics at just 15°C – well below the usual decomposition temperature of 30°C, which saves energy[5].

From Plastic Waste to Valuable Resource

Projects like the EU-funded RECOVER project combine microorganisms, enzymes, earthworms, and insects – not only to break down plastic but to convert it into valuable resources. In this way, plastics could be degraded and transformed into usable biomass[6].

Biological recycling of plastic could become a vital addition to the circular economy. What’s more, yet undiscovered microorganisms and biocatalysts may open up entirely new ways to utilize plastic efficiently in the future.

However, this method must not become an excuse for careless littering. The goal remains to keep plastic in the loop. The fact that microbes, fungi, and enzymes can break plastic down and transform it into valuable base materials offers a new approach to material recovery – and a chance to reduce plastic waste that has already entered the environment.

Bio-recycling makes sense wherever conventional methods reach their limits and plastic would otherwise be lost.

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ideonella_sakaiensis 
[2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parengyodontium_album 
[3] https://www.nature.com/articles/s41557-025-01845-5 
[4] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plastisphere 
[5] https://www.wsl.ch/de/projekte/
[6] https://recover-bbi.eu/project/

Image Source: Plastic is Fantastic Association.

Image Caption: Microbes, fungi, and enzymes show how biological systems can not only break down plastic - but transform it into raw materials, habitats, and even medicines.