The Ongoing Fight Against Plastic Pollution
Featured Products Promotional FeaturesPosted by: Dental Design 13th April 2022
Over the last couple of years it may have felt as though tackling plastic pollution has taken a backseat. While this may be the case it doesn’t take away from the fact that Earth needs the human-race to come up with a solution now more than ever. In fact, consumption of single-use plastic has increased throughout the pandemic with the need for elevated infection control, enhanced PPE, and viral testing taking priority. One study revealed that more than eight million tons of plastic waste has been generated globally due to the pandemic and 25,000 tons of that has entered oceans across the globe.[i] This already vexing problem needs our undivided attention and thankfully scientists haven’t stopped looking for an answer.
Innovative Solutions: What’s in the Works?
While scientists have discovered some materials that can be harvested to help us solve this issue, I suppose we really owe it to nature for providing them in the first place. Nevertheless, scientists have discovered plastic-eating bacteria, a fungus that also eats plastic, and seaweed that has been engineered as a replacement for single-use plastic packaging.
Plastic Eating Bacteria: In 2016, scientists in Japan discovered bacteria outside a bottle recycling factory that can essentially eat plastic. This bacterium, Ideonella Sakaiensis, has evolved to degrade one particular variety of plastic called PET.[ii] While this might sound disappointing because there are many types of plastic out there, this kind is typically used to make plastic bottles. The UK uses around 7.7 billion plastic water bottles a year (with 583.3 billion plastic bottles estimated to be sold globally in 2021)[iii] this could have a huge impact on the world’s problem.[iv]
Plastic Degrading Fungi: Students from Yale discovered Pestalotiopsis Microspora (a type of mushroom), in 2011, which can digest and break down plastic. This was even possible in air-free environments which suggests that it could be effective at the bottom of landfills.[v] As it stands there have been fifty types of mushroom discovered that have the ability to degrade plastic. Overall, this suggests that these kinds of mushrooms could be viable option for reducing plastic waste in the future.
Bioplastic: Some experts have decided to take a more holistic approach to tackling plastic pollution as the plastic eating bacteria and fungi need scientific intervention to work at the speed we need.[vi] Tackling the source of the problem with plant-based solutions is, in some people’s opinion, the way forward. Studies have shown that seaweed can be made into plastic packaging and because of its renewability and sustainable qualities it will biodegrade much more quickly than plastic! As well as this, further applications of seaweed-derived material including tissue engineering, drug delivery, and wound dressing have started to become a reality.[vii]
The Impact on the Dental Profession
As a clinician you’ll be more than aware of the amount of plastic the dental profession uses on a daily basis. Of course, there are various sustainable solutions that can be implemented but ultimately, the profession produces a lot of waste simply by adhering to infection control protocols. In fact, the UK saw 30.8 million tonnes of commercial waste in 2018[viii] and 22.7% of commercial waste was NHS plastic waste in 2019.[ix] However, with the new innovations being developed, the industry could see things such as equipment coverings being made from seaweed rather than single-use plastic in the future.
Overall, the solutions that are making headlines still have a long way to go when it comes to them being available for commercial and everyday use. Furthermore, it’s integral to ensure that these innovations don’t cause even more harm to our environment. While it might be a while yet before your dental practice is covered with bioplastic, all of the breakthroughs I’ve mentioned seem to be a positive step towards fighting plastic pollution.
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[i] Peng, Y., Wu, P., Schartup, A.T. and Zhang, Y. (2021). Plastic Waste Release Caused by COVID-19 and Its Fate in the Global Ocean. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, [online] 118(47). Available at: https://www.pnas.org/content/118/47/e2111530118 [Accessed 20 Jan. 2022].
[ii] Yoshida, S., Hiraga, K., Takehana, T., Taniguchi, I., Yamaji, H., Maeda, Y., Toyohara, K., Miyamoto, K., Kimura, Y. and Oda, K. (2016). A Bacterium That Degrades and Assimilates poly(ethylene terephthalate). Science, 351(6278), pp.1196–1199.
[iii] Plastic Soup Foundation. (2017). The World’s Population Consumes 1 Million Plastic Bottles Every Minute. [online] Available at: https://www.plasticsoupfoundation.org/en/2017/07/the-worlds-population-consumes-1-million-plastic-bottles-every-minute/ [Accessed 21 Jan. 2022].
[iv] Water.org.uk. (2018). National Refill Day. [online] Available at: https://www.water.org.uk/news-item/national-refill-day/ [Accessed 20 Jan. 2022].
[v] Hildebrandt, E. (2019). 50 New Plastic-Eating Mushrooms Have Been Discovered in past Two Years. [online] Leaps. Available at: https://leaps.org/plastic-eating-mushrooms-let-you-have-your-trash-and-eat-it-too/particle-4 [Accessed 20 Jan. 2022].
[vi] Carpenter, S. (2021). The Race to Develop Plastic-Eating Bacteria. [online] Forbes. Available at: https://www.forbes.com/sites/scottcarpenter/2021/03/10/the-race-to-develop-plastic-eating-bacteria/?sh=38229cfc7406 [Accessed 20 Jan. 2022].
[vii] Abdul Khalil, H.P.S., Saurabh, C.K., Tye, Y.Y., Lai, T.K., Easa, A.M., Rosamah, E., Fazita, M.R.N., Syakir, M.I., Adnan, A.S., Fizree, H.M., Aprilia, N.A.S. and Banerjee, A. (2017). Seaweed Based Sustainable Films and Composites for Food and Pharmaceutical Applications: a Review. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, [online] 77, pp.353–362. Available at: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1364032117305233 [Accessed 20 Jan. 2022].
[viii] Government Statistic Service (2021). UK Statistics on Waste. [online] GOV.UK. Available at: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1002246/UK_stats_on_waste_statistical_notice_July2021_accessible_FINAL.pdf [Accessed 20 Jan. 2022].
[ix] Percival, A. (2019). Not so Fantastic Plastic – NHS Providers. [online] nhsproviders.org. Available at: https://nhsproviders.org/news-blogs/blogs/not-so-fantastic-plastic#:~:text=The%20NHS%2C%20like%20the%20whole [Accessed 21 Jan. 2022].
