The Plastic Problem & Our Solutions

Plastic2Food is a student-led plastic bioremediation research group looking to reduce the effect of styrofoam waste on the environment. Using a combination of mealworms, fungi, and bacteria, our aim is to transform styrofoam from an environmental pollutant into safe and effective compost.

 Although styrofoam is usually considered non-biodegradable, mealworms have a unique ability to consume and digest the plastic thanks to a specialized bacteria in their gut. The farm team raises worms and develops a feeding system for styrofoam consumption, now investigating our worm excrement for possible microplastics to optimize the feeding system.

Blue oysters (Pleurotas ostreatus) break down styrofoam into smaller, more manageable molecules. The fungus team is expanding our research into some promising mushrooms like lion's mane and hope to quantitatively investigate their degradation ability.

 The greenhouse represents the final phase in our Plastic2Food process. The greenhouse team will grow fresh fruits and vegetables, fertilized by a composting system. The team is currently in the process of designing and building a more permanent greenhouse to support our Plastic2Food mission for years to come!

 The bioreactor team aims to streamline the styrofoam degradation process by isolating the bacteria in mealworms' guts and directly feeding them with plastic. The team is in preliminary stages of bioreactor construction and bacteria culture, aiming to deploy the process in the coming months.

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