Self-Eating Plastic Could Reduce Tech Waste

The words ‘self-eating’ might well sound like something from a horror movie, but the truth is that it might well be more suited to sci-fi films in the future. Scientists have developed what is being labelled as ‘self-digesting plastic’, with the idea being that it will help to reduce pollution in the long-term.

This, of course, could have wide-ranging implications for the world of tech, where plastic use has always been something of an issue. Is there a world in which your mobile phone could simply all but disappear after a few years’ worth of use? Might computer consoles have a literal lifespan attached to them by the makers?

What We’re Talking About

Whether you’re talking about phone cases or sports trainers, there is a very real chance that polyurethane is used in its creation. The problem is that it is not easy to recycle it, meaning that landfills up and down the country are full of things made out of plastic. Scientists have been looking at ways that that could change and have begun to develop a plastic that contains spores of plastic-easting bacteria, which means that it can effectively self-destruct over a period of time. It isn’t that they are there eating away at the plastic from the moment that it hits the shelves, however. Instead, they kick into gear when exposed to certain nutrients in compost.

One of the most fascinating side-effects of adding the spores to the plastic is that they actually make it more rugged. One of the co-researchers in the project, Jon Pokorski, said,

“Our process makes the materials more rugged, so it extends its useful lifetime. And then, when it’s done, we’re able to eliminate it from the environment, regardless of how it’s disposed.”

Bacillus subtilis, the bacteria added to the plastic, is used widely in the likes of probiotics and food additives. It has to be genetically engineered in order to withstand the extremely high temperatures used to make plastic, which means it isn’t an easy thing to produce.

The result is that some are concerned that its existence might lead some people to believe that we don’t need to worry too much about plastic pollution. Professor Steve Fletcher is the Director of the Revolution Plastics Institute at the University of Portsmouth and believes that cutting how much plastic is used globally is the only sensible solution. He said,

“Care must be taken with potential solutions of this sort, which could give the impression that we should worry less about plastic pollution because any plastic leaking into the environment will quickly, and ideally safely, degrade. Yet, for the vast majority of plastics, this is not the case.”

What it Could Mean for the World of Tech

It is a sad fact of the modern world that plastic is fairly crucial to the development of new technologies. Whilst the likes of Apple and Google move to create phones with as little plastic in as possible, there are huge numbers of second-tier mobile phone makers that have no such qualms in their plastic usage. Televisions use plastics for the surround of the screen as well as the remote control, with computer monitors doing similar. The keyboard of the computer that you use for work tends to be made of plastic. Even if plastic use is reduced in a smart device, it remains in the microchips that control it.

In 2021 it was revealed that just 20 companies were responsible for more than half of all of the ‘throwaway’ plastic that goes to waste each year. Whilst the likes of bags and bottles make up a huge portion of this, there are numerous uses of plastic in the technology world that are equally ‘throwaway’. Although some people might keep the box that a PlayStation or Xbox came in, for example, many would choose to keep the disc and throw the box in the bin. By being able to add a plastic-eating bacteria to these boxes, amongst countless other things, the world of technology could improve its relationship with recycling.

With plastic production having increased tenfold since 1970, with much of that being thanks to the need for technological devices such as mobile phones, computers and even broadband routers, finding ways to limit how long said plastics can last will be crucial. Most people will use the likes of a mobile phone or a router for several years, but once the device has run its course it will be disposed of. Without finding a way of recycling it, that plastic is going to end up in landfill or the oceans around the planet, which is terrible for the environment. If manufacturers can find ways to incorporate self-eating plastic, however, it could be a game-changer.

Reducing Plastic Usage is Key

Whilst the invention of self-eating plastic might end up being revolutionary for the world of technology, there is no question that Professor Fletcher is correct: the first port of call has to be to find ways to reduce plastic usage as much as possible. There are more and more tech companies working to find a solution to the plastic problem. It is hoped, for example, that plastic of any kind could be recycled in the not too distant future, turning it into….plastic. This circular economy would mean that new plastic wouldn’t need to be created, instead making use of the plastic that already exists in order to protect the planet.

If you own some tech, no matter how old, take a look at it right now and see if you can guesstimate how much of it is plastic. You’ll soon see that there is an awful lot of plastic out there in our technological devices that is likely to last for a lifetime even once its use is over and done with. Whether it be scientists developing self-eating plastic or tech companies trying to find ways to recycle the plastic we already use, we need to find a way to reduce how much plastic is used in general or else we will continue to kill the planet and make it all but uninhabitable for the generations that will come after us.