One of the biggest concerns around the world today is our environment. Especially the huge quantities of non-recyclable materials that are produced globally. Even more sustainable materials sometimes take years to decompose. This is something that, as our population grows, we can’t afford to wait around for. In fact, mealworms eat plastic additives that are found in polystyrene. Which could be potentially toxic to humans and other animals. These worms can consume these plastics without it having any impact on their bodies. From there, the cycle continues as the worms are used as a feed supplement that’s rich in protein. Keep reading to learn how mealworms eat plastic and the benefits this could offer to our environment in the future.
Mealworm plastic degradation | Polystyrene worms | Mealworms plastic eating advantages
Mealworm plastic degradation
There’s no denying that our planet has a huge plastic issue. Mealworm plastic consumption is one solution to this concern. It’s been shown that they can consume various types of plastic and polystyrene. The studies that have been undertaken in this area looked at how the mealworm was able to digest the chemicals when consuming the polystyrene. They were shown to naturally be broken down in the gut of the yellow mealworm. It’s incredible to think that mealworms can eat all of these chemicals without them building up in their body after a while. But studies suggest this is a possibility.
Further research still needs to be completed into this area. It’s unsure whether, after a certain time period, the chemicals may accumulate in worms. This is particularly of concern for animal farmers, as mealworms are an excellent protein-rich source of feed. But this could pose a huge risk to animals. These chemicals in polystyrene and plastics serve as a reminder to plastics producers. As we should be questioning why they are required in the first place. With these plastics being so toxic to animals and humans, it’s something we hope in the future won’t be needed to create polystyrene and plastics.
Polystyrene worms
Polystyrene is commonly used for both insulation and packaging. Unfortunately, it’s costly to recycle as it is bulky and has a low density. As we mentioned above, this material contains a chemical called hexabromocyclododecane (HBCD). Which is often added to polystyrene in order to make it less flammable. In fact, it’s believed that each year, around 25 million metric tons of flame retardant chemicals are added to plastics. It has a huge impact on the environment and our health. In Europe and the US, it’s still being evaluated for its use. It’s something we hope to see less reliance on in the future.
When it comes to polystyrene worms, mealworms that were tested excreted roughly half of the polystyrene that they ate. Which came out as small degraded fragments. The other half was carbon dioxide. A+bout 90% of the HBCD was also excreted within the first day and the rest within two days. It’s believed that when mealworms eat plastic. They still remained as healthy as mealworms eating a regular diet. And the same was true when shrimp ate the mealworms that were part of this experiment. Ultimately, we need also to be thinking about why some of these plastics and chemicals are being used in the first place. The mealworm plastic-eating process can offer many advantages in the time being.
Mealworms plastic eating advantages
The number one advantage of mealworm plastic degradation is that we will avoid plastics sitting in a landfill for hundreds of years. Polystyrene, which is commonly produced as Styrofoam, offers humans a cheap insulating product and a container for enjoying our food on the go. However, it can spend hundreds of years in a landfill. Which is terribly damaging to our environment, especially considering most of this polystyrene is single-use. When mealworms eat Styrofoam, we can avoid this from happening and minimize the amount of waste we see in the world today. As we discussed earlier, there are also dangerous fire-retardant chemicals in these products. Which we don’t want put into landfills, as this could easily end up in the soil and jeopardize the health of animals or humans in the future.
Mealworms are a sustainable animal feed option
While mealworms dining on plastic is still in the early stages of research, it’s an excellent solution for the future to fight the waste we are producing. Although more studies need to be undertaken still, the current research suggests that the mealworms that eat plastic still offer a good source of animal feed. Mealworms are a sustainable and inexpensive animal feed option, which can be fed to many different animals. As the chemicals are not absorbed into the body once the plastic is eaten, they can still be consumed by an animal without fear of chemicals entering their bodies. In one experiment, the mealworms ate about a quarter of the foam that was placed in front of them in just 16 days. Which was a great success given the number of mealworms and the size of the polystyrene.
This is an exciting development in waste management. It could in the future be applied to both businesses and homes alike. However, more studies will need to be completed first into the environmental factors and how the plastics degrade in mealworms to ensure no damage will be done to animals in the future.
Plastic production is a massive issue across the world. While we can all do our part to minimize the amount of plastic and polystyrene we use on a regular basis, sometimes, using these products is entirely unavoidable. Using mealworms to eat plastic could be the answer to avoiding plastics sitting in a landfill for hundreds of years. We believe once more research is completed, we will be likely to see this solution in use within companies and households in the future. As the mealworms don’t seem to be harmed by the chemicals they consume, it’s a safe and effective solution for protecting the environment for many years to come.
