DW: Revolutionary discovery in Serbia – plastic-eating worms

Environmentalists and scientists in Serbia have been working for years to find solutions for removing waste from nature. Now they have unlikely allies - mealworms that can digest plastic, reported Deutsche Welle.

For decades, researchers at the Institute of Biological Research Sinisa Stankovic have been breeding and studying mealworms that can break down plastic.

“Just like all of us have certain bacteria in our bodies that help us digest food, the same happens with mealworm larvae. Thanks to these microbial cultures, they are able to break down plastic material into carbon dioxide and water, which they then incorporate into their own body mass – so there are no harmful byproducts in this biodegradation process,” Larisa Ilijin, a research advisor at the Institute, told Deutsche Welle.

One container holding a few million mealworm larvae can break down a ton of Styrofoam per year. In nature, the same amount of Styrofoam would take more than 500 years to decompose.

Moreover, the larvae – once processed – can be used as a nutritious supplement in animal feed, and their waste can serve as organic fertilizer in agriculture.

“This is a truly closed-loop system where you can use waste as food. Every byproduct in that cycle has a new purpose. It’s what we call a ‘zero waste’ model – and that’s why it’s becoming so popular. I like to say this could become a whole new branch of agriculture in the future,” Ilijin added.

From theory to practice

The company Belinda Animals has taken this science and turned it into practice. On their farm, they’re raising mealworms and plan to create a regional network of farms that adopt this innovative approach. For farmers, it’s a win-win: they reduce waste and get a natural feed additive for pigs and poultry while helping protect the environment.

“When a larva consumes one kilogram of Styrofoam, it emits just one to two grams of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. But if you burn that same kilogram in a cement factory, it releases 3,960 grams of carbon dioxide. That’s nearly 4,000 times more pollution,” Boris Vasiljev from Belinda Animals explained.

But this is only the beginning. Mealworms have already made it onto dinner plates in parts of the European Union as ingredients in energy bars, pasta, or as a protein supplement. Experts believe Serbia may soon approve them for human consumption too.