Plastic-chomping bacteria ‘could transform bottles into make-up, drugs and perfumes’

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These beads contain engineered E. coli that efficiently transform PET waste into a high-value compound. Photo released November 1 2023. See SWNS story SWSCbacteria. Plastic-chomping bacteria could transform plastic bottles into make-up, drugs and perfumes, according to a new study. University of Edinburgh scientists engineered an E. coli bacteria to eat our litter and regurgitate it into something else. Mountains of disposable polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottles are thrown out every day.