Using microbes to recycle plastic waste back into its constituents offers great promise – especially as the first commercial facility has just begun construction.

Plastic pollution is a huge problem, but one that society – and industry – is determined to solve. While most plastics can be mechanically recycled through cleaning, shredding and remelting, recycling rates remain low. The process also affects physical properties, which limits the amount of recyclate that can be used in a new product.

New techniques are emerging to overcome this limitation. Chemical recycling, for instance, uses high heat to break plastics into their original monomers, which can be repolymerised. But a more sophisticated approach – using plastic-degrading enzymes – could do this more efficiently. What’s more, the first commercial plant, owned by French biotech company Carbios, recently began construction.

As building continues, many other researchers continue to look for new microbes that could achieve something...