Plasticeating Mushrooms - Environmental Superstars

Mushrooms, which have quietly been breaking down dead plants for millennia, recycling important nutrients back into the soil, are finally getting recognized as superstars in saving the planet. Recently we learnt that a mushroom called Pestalotiopsis microspora can turn polyurethane into organic material. If governments and scientists take this seriously and harness the power of plastic-eating mushrooms, we could clean up the planet

- Maneka Sanjay Gandhi

Since the 1950s, 9 billion tonnes of plastic have been made. Nine per cent of that has been recycled— not counted because it is recycled into more plastic. Twelve per cent has been burnt and those gases are still killing us. Around 93 per cent of all fish in the oceans have plastic in their bodies. But that’s fine for fish eaters. Because in 20 years from now, there will be no fish in the ocean, only plastic. Microplastics are found in 93 per cent of bottled water. Each year, human beings produce about 400 million metric tonnes of plastic, a number that is going to double in the next 20 years. For years, ordinary people have been trying to find ways to reduce plastic. I banned plastic in my house: it was futile. Envelopes have plastic in them, medicines, toothpastes and soaps are packaged in plastic. Dry fruits come in plastic wraps and so do biscuits. The only thing possible now is for governments to find a way to destroy plastic.

In April 2021, came the news that a mushroom called Pestalotiopsis microspora can turn polyurethane into organic material. Polyurethane is one of the main ingredients of plastic. Mushrooms are the fruiting body of fungi. Fungi can break down dead plants and have the potential to be construction material, medicine, and biofuel. There are 2–4 million fungi species and the possibilities are seemingly endless.