Summary (Draft 2)

The article, “Plastic-eating Enzyme Could Eliminate Billions of Tons of Landfill Waste'' by The University of Texas at Austin (2022), revealed that researchers at The University of Texas at Austin have developed an enzyme variant that can accelerate the degradation of environmentally harmful plastics in hours or days instead of centuries. The researchers mainly focused on polyethylene terephthalate (PET), a polymer most commonly found in consumer packaging and certain fibers and textiles. This enzyme variant is able to disintegrate the plastic into smaller parts (depolymerization) and then put it back together (repolymerization) which begins the upcycling process. Plastic eating enzymes were first created in 2016. Among the factors that have hindered the application of this plastic-eating enzyme are its inability to function at low temperatures and different pH ranges, its inability to treat untreated plastic waste directly, and its slow reaction times (Malewar, 2022). 

However, this new and improved enzyme variant is proven to be superior in breaking down PET plastics more efficiently. This enzyme has the potential to remove waste from landfills and green high-waste industries, which would be a significant contribution to the cleanup of landfills and greening of high-waste industries. The recycling of plastic could lead to a more sustainable approach as well compared to traditional recycling methods. Even so, reducing plastic pollution in the first place is crucial. The enzyme is certainly not the solution, but rather an essential component.

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The article, “Plastic-eating Enzyme Could Eliminate Billions of Tons of Landfill Waste'' by The University of Texas at Austin (2022), revealed that researchers at The University of Texas at Austin have developed an enzyme variant that can accelerate the degradation of environmentally harmful plastics in hours or days instead of centuries. The researchers mainly focused on polyethylene terephthalate (PET), a polymer most commonly found in consumer packaging and certain fibers and textiles. This enzyme variant is able to disintegrate the plastic into smaller parts (depolymerization) and then put it back together (repolymerization) which begins the upcycling process. Plastic eating enzymes were first created in 2016. Among the factors that have hindered the application of this plastic-eating enzyme are its inability to function at low temperatures and different pH ranges, its inability to treat untreated plastic waste directly, and its slow reaction times (Malewar, 2022).  However
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