A better fate for plastic bottles

Using microbes to convert PET into a high-value plastic could encourage more recycling

A new recycling process enlists the help of bacteria to turn the ubiquitous plastic PET into a biodegradable plastic that could replace the cellophane in food packaging.

The method, described in a paper posted online and set to appear in Environmental Science & Technology, could encourage more recycling of the billions of plastic bottles consumed every year.