2022-07-07

[public] 350K views, 16.3K likes, dislikes audio only

TED-Ed

Explore the possibility of plastivores— organisms that can eat and break down plastic— helping reduce the plastic waste on Earth.

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Each year humanity produces roughly 400 million tons of plastic, 80% of which is discarded as trash. Of that plastic waste, only one-tenth is recycled. 60% gets incinerated or goes into the landfills, and 30% leaks out into the environment. Fortunately, there are microbes that may be able to take a bite out of this growing problem. Tierney Thys and Christian Sardet explore the future of recycling.

Lesson by Tierney Thys and Christian Sardet, directed by Elsa Esteban.

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View full lesson: https://ed.ted.com/lessons/meet-the-microbes-that-could-eat-your-trash-tierney-thys-and-christian-sardet

Dig deeper with additional resources: https://ed.ted.com/lessons/meet-the-microbes-that-could-eat-your-trash-tierney-thys-and-christian-sardet#digdeeper

Animator's website: https://www.elsaesteban.com

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