There is a group of guys who can actually turn plastic waste into edible mushrooms by two strains of fungus that digest the plastic ingredients, but don't accumulate anything toxic.
The idea came from a 2012 study by researchers at Yale University, who found a rare mushroom in the Amazon called Pestalotiopsis microspora that was capable of breaking down polyurethane which is the main ingredient of plastic.
"We were really inspired about the idea that something digests plastic but then still creates edible biomass" (one of the inventors, Austrian designer Katharina Unger).
Fungi Mutarium: Prototype from LIVIN Studio on Vimeo.
They are developing Fungi Mutarium which is a device that features a series of little white cups that are made from agar, starch, sugar and thin slices of plastic waste that have been sterilised using UV light are placed inside.
Fungi begins to grow just in a few weeks and after several months, the plastic will be completely decomposed and what's left is fluffy edible mycelium.
The fungi itself is quite tasteless but there is so many ways to make it delicious, such as adding your favourite flavours and spices.
It’s a pretty crazy idea, but people should care about the plastic waste threat.
Reports says that within next 35 years, the number of sealife in our oceans will be threaten by plastic waste and in 2055 we will be producing three times more waste we did in 2014.
Doesn't it sound appetising at all?
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http://www.sciencealert.com/this-device-turns-plastic-waste-into-safe-edible-mushrooms
Right on. Thanks for sharing. I have a Mycologist friend who tells me there is a species that can process radioactive waste. He also believes that mushrooms' origins may actually be extraterrestrial... Fascinating form of life.
This is the future, it would solve so many things.
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