![The discovery of a bacterium with the ability to completely break down PET plastic could be ...](http://img-2.gizmag.com/pet-bacteria-2.jpg?auto=format&fit=max&h=297&q=60&rect=0%2C43%2C1000%2C562&w=530&s=68944b1810e57644057f6465d2b2fb07)
Hundreds of millions of tons of PET (polyethylene terephthalate) plastic are produced each year to package everything from sodas to shampoo. That only a fraction of this is recycled leaves much of it to rest in landfills and the ocean. But efforts to deal with this monumental mess may soon receive a much-needed boost, with scientists in Japan discovering a new bacterium with the ability to completely break down PET plastics in a relatively short space of time.
.. Continue Reading The hungry little bacterium that could hold the key to the world's plastic waste problem