Nearly all plastic is made from fossil fuels, such as oil, and very little is recycled. The vast majority of plastic waste ends up in landfills, is burned in incinerators, or leaks into the environment, especially oceans. So, some researchers wanted to see if they could turn plastic waste into something useful.
Stephan Wallace is a professor of chemical biotechnology at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland. He and his team learned how to make medicine for reducing pain and fevers out of plastic waste using bacteria. The bacteria that the researchers study can turn an acid in plastic waste into another type of acid found in pain medication.
The researchers could convert more than 92% of the plastic waste they used into the ingredients of pain medication.
The researchers know that converting plastic into pain medication will not solve the enormous problem of plastic waste. However, they think their discovery is a step in the right direction. Stephan said he sees plastic waste as an untapped resource that can be transformed into something useful, but it will take time.
David Brown adapted this story for Mongabay Kids. It is based on an article by Bobby Bascomb, published on Mongabay News.
