Biodegradation of Plastic Waste: Mechanisms, Perspectives, and Challenges

The increasing accumulation of plastic waste is among the most serious environmental concerns affecting modern society. These plastic wastes pose a significant threat to all life forms, making them a global issue that requires urgent attention. As a result, there is an immediate demand to adopt eco-friendly practices that are both effective and long term to reduce the harmful effects that conventional disposal methods have on the surrounding ecosystem. This chapter concentrates on the microbial degradation of various kinds of synthetic plastic and highlights the significance of bacteria, with a primary focus on algae, in the broader plastic biodegradation process. In addition, it emphasizes the ability of the microbial consortium that lives in insects' guts to degrade man-made plastic trash. A discussion has also been made on the biodegradation of several types of synthetic plastics, including their underlying mechanistic processes. These discoveries might be significant in developing bio-upcycling technologies to produce important metabolic products from plastic waste. This chapter concludes with a discussion of the potential benefits and drawbacks connected with the microbial valorization of waste plastics that have undergone degradation.