Plastic waste is everywhere. Despite decades of recycling efforts, most plastics still end up incinerated or landfilled. Traditional recycling helps, but it often falls short. Materials lose quality, contamination spreads, and reuse options remain limited.
This challenge has pushed researchers to look for new solutions. One of the most promising approaches is microbial recycling – a method that uses biology instead of brute force to deal with plastic waste.
What is microbial recycling?
Microbial recycling relies on microorganisms and enzymes to break plastics down at the molecular level. Instead of shredding and melting materials, microbes target the polymer chains themselves. They split plastics into their original building blocks.
These basic molecules can then serve as feedstock for new, high-quality plastics or bio-based products.
This approach differs strongly from mechanical recycling, which focuses on sorting, washing, and remelting plastics. Mechanical methods often degrade material quality after only a few cycles. Microbial recycling, in contrast, aims to preserve value by working at the chemical level.
Microbial processes also differ from chemical recycling. Chemical methods typically require high temperatures and catalysts. Microbial systems operate under milder conditions and use biological catalysts instead. While these systems still face challenges, they offer a more energy-efficient pathway.
Which plastics and bioplastics can microbes handle today?
Scientists have already identified microbes and enzymes that can degrade several common plastics. These include polyethylene (PE), polystyrene (PS), polyurethane (PU), polyvinyl chloride (PVC), and polyethylene terephthalate (PET). However, performance varies widely. Many systems still work too slowly for large-scale waste treatment.
PET stands out as a notable success story. Engineered enzymes can depolymerise PET into terephthalic acid and ethylene glycol. Both compounds reach high purity and can directly feed new plastic production. This makes PET a strong candidate for closed-loop recycling.
Bioplastics also show high potential. Materials such as polylactic acid (PLA) and polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA) degrade under controlled microbial conditions. Researchers have gone a step further. They have shown that tailored microbial communities can convert mixed plastic waste into new PHAs.
Even so, most microbial recycling systems remain at the laboratory or pilot scale. Infrastructure-scale deployment has yet to become standard practice. Collaboration across research, industry, and policy remains essential.
Want to learn more about bioplastics? Explore our Bioplastics 101: meet PLA, PHA, PBS & PEF handbook to better understand the materials shaping today’s bio-based plastics landscape.
Expert talk: microbial recycling for bioplastics
To move microbial recycling closer to real-world application, MoeBIOS is collaborating with ReBioCycle and PROSPER as part of the Bioplastics Recycling Cluster Talks.
The online event “Microbial recycling for bioplastics” will take place on February 3, 2026, from 12:00 to 12:45 CET. The session includes a 30-minute expert presentation followed by a 15-minute live Q&A. The talk will not be recorded.
João Sousa from Paques Biomaterials will lead the session. He will share insights from the ReBioCycle project and discuss how microbial technologies could integrate into the bioplastics value chain. Topics will cover collection, microbial processing, reuse, and scalability.
European Bioplastics organises the event together with ReBioCycle, MoeBIOS, and PROSPER. The initiative forms part of an EU-funded effort supported by the Circular Bio-Based Europe Joint Undertaking (CBE JU).
Who should attend?
This talk is relevant for anyone working on sustainable plastics, including:
-
researchers in plastics, biotechnology, or the bioeconomy
-
innovators in waste management and recycling
-
sustainability professionals in public and private organisations
-
stakeholders following EU-funded research on bioplastics recycling
Join the conversation
Microbial recycling will not solve plastic pollution overnight. Still, it could reshape how we design and reuse materials in the long term. Progress depends on honest discussion, shared evidence, and collaboration across sectors.
Register now for the online talk “Microbial recycling for bioplastics” and join the live Q&A:
Register for the event here
Learn more
To follow MoeBIOS’s journey toward sustainable bioplastics recycling:
- Visit our project website
- Follow us on LinkedIn