Focus on plastic

Bacteria with a ravenous appetite in the fight against waste

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(Bild: Nandakumar S. Haridas/Greenpeace)

Tyrolean researchers are working on a method to recycle waste better and in an environmentally friendly way. The focus is on plastic. The province is funding the project. 

The world is in danger of suffocating in plastic waste! A bleak picture that is underpinned by figures: Over 460 million tons of plastic are currently produced worldwide every year. A third of this is for packaging with a very short lifespan.

Almost half of this plastic waste is produced in industrialized nations such as Austria. However, the average recycling rate for plastic in this country is still a modest 25 to 30 percent. According to the EU, 50 percent of plastic must be recycled by 2025 and 55 percent by 2030.

The Tyrolean project enables the next generation of researchers to develop innovative methods and approaches to combat plastic waste.

Cornelia Hagele, Wissenschaftslandesrätin (ÖVP)

Bild: Birbaumer Johanna

Tyrolean research project focuseson bacteria
Major efforts are required to achieve these goals. A Tyrolean research project is focusing on bacteria with a ravenous appetite for plastic.

This form of biorecycling uses enzymes - i.e. proteins from naturally occurring bacteria - to break down plastic waste into its components. These substances can then be reprocessed into plastic products. Microbes that break down plastic are being studied in a disused landfill site near Innsbruck.

At the same time, voracious bacteria with a hunger for plastic are to be cultivated to develop an enzymatic product for the degradation of plastic waste. The state is funding the research project with 220,000 euros until 2026.