We all know about the plastic problem. Millions of metric tons of plastic are discarded to the ocean every year, bring ends to thousands of lives of marine creatures, including turtles, fish, corals and even the birds who hunt in the sea for survival.
Scientists have come together to find a solution…but when there was no answer, nature decided to improvise with mutations to save earth.
Ideonella sakaiensis is the scientific name given to the bacteria that is slowly cleansing our world. It was discovered by Japanese scientists when they realized that some plastic bottles in a recycling plant had been decomposed. Its favourite meal is a plastic called polyethylene terephthalate. Simply put, the common plastic used to make plastic bottles and food packages.
Till recently, we assumed that plastic could not be naturally broken down. Try tearing a plastic bottle in half. It is very difficult. This is why it has been piling up over the years, polluting our lands and seas. This special bacterium (singular for bacteria) secretes enzymes into the plastic, enabling them to slowly digest the plastic.
With these new evolutionary creatures, we can start taking steps to fix the damage we caused. However, this isn’t a fast process. By the time taken for the bacteria to finish one bottle, many more would have piled up. We use more plastic than how much the bacteria can decompose. Let us aid them! We have a role to play as inhabitants of this planet.
As the young generations, it is our duty to act too. Reduce the amount of plastic you are using. Toys made of wood or cloth are absolute fun. Plastic bags are easily and efficiently replaceable by cloth. Glass bottles and woven packaging made of plant fiber are viable alternatives for plastic. Reuse as much as you can. That plastic shopping bag can be used again and again…till it tears anyway! Plastic and polyethene is also a creative material for house decorations you can make at home.
We can bring back our beloved earth! Help yourself and the rest of the world by advancing in an economical and efficient manner…that doesn’t destroy our home.
Thisari Ariyarathna (14 years)
Colombo Int. School, Kandy
