Wax worm: Scientists find worm saliva can break down tough plastic

Could wax worms help tackle plastic pollution around the world?

Plastic pollution has long been a big problem across the world but scientists think they may have found an unlikely hero who could help... a worm!

Experts have discovered that the saliva of the wax worm can break down a tough plastic called polyethylene.

Polyethylene is one of the most popular used forms of plastic which can be found in a wide range of products such as pipes, bottles as well as plastic bags and food containers.

It's believed to be the first time that such a useful solution has been found in nature and it's hoped that the discovery will lead to new natural ways of dealing with plastic pollution.

What did experts find?

Polyethylene makes up nearly a third of all plastic production

While more of us are trying to reduce, recycle and reuse single-use plastics, there are fewer options when it comes to dealing with certain plastics such as polyethylene.

That's because it's a tough plastic thanks to its structure, and usually needs to be heated or treated to start to break down - or degrade.

However, it's now been discovered that substances - called enzymes - found in the saliva of the wax worm can start to break down these plastics.

In fact, the worms are so successful at doing this, that one hour's exposure to the saliva breaks the plastic as much as years of weathering!

The Spanish team who made the discovery say that they're still trying to work out precisely how the worms degrade the plastic and more research is needed.

However Federica Bertocchini from Madrid's Margarita Salas Centre for Biological Studies, who made the discovery, said she hoped that in the future the enzymes could be copied and made in large amounts so that one day families could break down their own plastic waste.