Plastic is considered one of the biggest contributors to global pollution; Americans produce about 33 million tons of plastic waste each year!

However, researchers at Stanford University have discovered that common meal worms are able to reduce this overwhelming waste.

Meal worms’ guts contain microorganisms that enable them to digest types of plastic such as polystyrene, otherwise known as Styrofoam.

Researchers found that meal worms consuming strictly plastic were as healthy as those with a normal diet consisting of bran.

Sophomore Kiri Wang said, “It seems like such an odd concept, but this discovery could really help save our deteriorating environment!”

As they would with any food source, the worms converted about half of the plastic into carbon dioxide. However, the other half was converted into biodegradable waste that could possibly be used to grow plants and even crops.

In an interview with CNN, Stanford University engineer Wei-Min Wu said, “The findings are revolutionary. This is one of the biggest breakthroughs in environmental science in the past ten years.”

This information is especially significant because Styrofoam was previously considered non-biodegradable, and therefore extremely problematic.

Sophomore Keren Idelman said, “I think it’s an interesting idea, especially considering the need to grow crops and where we are headed with environmental and agricultural innovations.”

Due to the fact that meal worms are not only able to reduce the amount of a major waste product, but also to produce a usable waste, these tiny creatures could be considered valuable in improving the environment.