Breakthrough Discovery: Fungal Species Found to Digest Plastic Waste
Source: Alan Rockefeller, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Each year, an estimated 625,000 garbage trucks’ worth of plastic enters the oceans. This contributes to the fastest-growing ocean habitat: plastic waste. By 2025, the world will have generated 220 million tonnes of plastic, with nearly 79% ending up in landfills or the natural environment. Much of this plastic doesn’t break down for hundreds of years. Instead, it breaks apart into toxic micro- and nanoplastics that harm ecosystems and enter the food chain.
Scientists around the world are now looking to bioremediation and among the most promising players in this battle are plastic-eating fungi. These natural organisms can degrade plastics like polyurethane (PU) and polypropylene (PP), which are two of the toughest and most common types of plastic waste.
Recent studies have shown that certain strains of fungi—found in marine environments, Amazon rainforests, and even salt marshes—are surprisingly effective at degrading and digesting complex plastic waste. A groundbreaking study from the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa found that more than 60% of marine fungi isolated from the ocean were capable of degrading plastics, with three strains rapidly digesting polyurethane without the need for external treatment.
In Sydney, Australia, researchers led by Professor Ali Abbas reported a 27% degradation of PP5 plastics in 90 days using terrestrial fungi, while in China, a team documented over 184 fungal strains and 55 bacterial strains from coastal ecosystems that could break down petroleum-based plastics.
Source: Britannica
Meanwhile, in Germany, scientists identified fungi strains capable of degrading complex plastic polymers and rubber without any pretreatment, highlighting their potential for adaptive nature and real-world applications. This follows the famous 2011 discovery by Yale students of Pestalotiopsis microspora—a fungus from the Amazon rainforest that can digest polyurethane in anaerobic (oxygen-free) environments, making it uniquely suited for landfills.
Fungi possess powerful enzymes that break down tough materials like wood and chitin—qualities that allow them to treat plastic similarly. They belong to diverse fungal classes such as Ascomycota,Basidiomycota, and Mucoromycota, with less than 1% of marine fungi currently described, suggesting a vast, untapped potential for plastic biodegradation.
Despite all the above mentioned promising results, challenges remain to convert gallons of plastic waste to non-toxic molecules. Most findings are lab-based, and large-scale application will require optimization, engineering support, and interdisciplinary collaboration. Yet the science is clear: fungi could be essential allies in our global effort to manage plastic pollution. Alongside ongoing scientific breakthroughs, immediate steps like reducing single-use plastic consumption and investing in sustainable materials must continue.
To learn more, read our latest blog “Plastic Eating Fungi Vs Plastic Waste Crisis- Can Fungi Save the Planet in 2025?”
About the author
Dr. Anindita Talukdar
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Breakthrough Discovery: Fungal Species Found to Digest Plastic Waste Source: Alan Rockefeller, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons Each year, an estimated 625,000 garbage trucks’ worth of plastic enters the