PLASTIC POLLUTION
FUNGI
Masters Project
In 2049, the plastic waste crisis is dire. Landfills are overflowing, oceans are toxic, and microplastics flow freely through human bloodstreams. But thanks to discoveries made in the 2010s, scientists have turned to fungi's ability to biodegrade plastic. Across the world, labs grow living mycelium that feeds on discarded plastic, breaking it down into harmless organic matter.
From this process comes a new food: plastik myco-protein, grown from the same fungi that once consumed our plastic waste. Once the plastic is digested, the clean, nutrient-rich mycelium is harvested, dried and transformed into nourishment. Among these inventions is the Plastik Protein Bar, a bespoke chocolate bar made with plastic-eating mushrooms.
Each bar tells the story of the waste it has cleansed – PET bottles, polyurethane foam, plastic grocery bags – giving consumers the radical choice to join the cycle. Eating one isn’t just feeding yourself, it’s helping repair the planet.
LDPE plastic
PUR plastic
In 2011, Yale University students discovered that Pestalotiopsis microspora, a fungus found in the Amazon rainforest in Ecuador, can digest plastic through a process called mycoremediation.
Mycoremediation is nature’s recycling system. It is a form of bioremediation – the ability for micro-organisms to safely digest or break down pollutants from the environment. In this case, mushrooms that are capable of breaking down plastic pollution.
In this imagined future, scientists bio-engineer these fungi to clean up plastic faster than ever. Tonnes and tonnes of plastic are being safely and securely disposed of. Once their work is done, the mushrooms are harvested, turned into protein, and used in delicious confectionery.