The Mushroom That Can Eat Plastic, and Might Save the World
If the world ends, it will not be fire that brings it down (well, it might be with the earth getting hotter and hotter each year, but I’m trying to be dramatic here).
Not by flood or war either.
It will be plastic…quiet and enduring. Floating in oceans, buried in soil, woven into clothes, whispered into the guts of fish, and accumulating in every body part of ours including our sperm and brains. We’ll be gone, and the Ziploc bags will remain our legacy we leave behind.
But nature, as it always does, always seems to have its own quiet rebellion cooking in the background.
And this time, it wears a cute little mushroom cap.
Meet the Fungus That Eats Plastic
Its name is Pestalotiopsis microspora. It doesn’t need a lab or sunlight or perfect pH levels, it simply…eats polyurethane. A common plastic used in everything from furniture foam to synthetic leather. It was discovered in the Amazon and is capable of degrading polyurethane even under oxygen-free (anaerobic) conditions.
First discovered in the Amazon rainforest, this fungus was observed by Yale undergrads in 2011 to do something remarkable. It digests plastic…not just in rich oxygen, but in the absence of light and air.
In other words it can survive in landfills, and it can eat our trash.
And that’s not the only one either, Pleurotus ostreatus (the oyster mushroom) is yet another with these magical capabilties. Research shows it can break down oxo-biodegradable plastics and other plastic materials. A decay with purpose.
While we’ve created 8.3 billion metric tons of plastic since the 1950s, and only recycled 9% of it, but Pestalotiopsis doesn’t flinch, it just does what it does best and breaks down polyurethane into organic matter.
It metabolizes poison and transforms death into life.
If you didn’t expect the savior to be mold, you’re not alone. I was also happily shocked by it.
Mushrooms go viral because people love the romance of mycelium networks, the psychedelic whispers, and the strange intelligence hidden in damp decay.
But this isn’t a trend, it’s a real science-based solution to a massive problem. Scientists at Yale have confirmed the fungus survives entirely on plastic, it doesn’t need a pre-treatment, it breaks down polyurethane within weeks and it thrives in environments that mimic landfills.
Other Plastic-Eating Fungi on the Rise
While Pestalotiopsis microspora gets the spotlight, it has kin in the shadows. Aspergillus tubingensis is found in Pakistani soil, and it too breaks down polyester polyurethane.
Fusarium solani isolated in India, has been found to degrade PVC. Penicillium simplicissimum feasts and gorges itself on polyethylene.
Together, they form a quiet fungal army, nibbling at the edges of our permanent petroleum legacy.
At the molecular level, these fungi produce enzymes (tiny biochemical scissors) that chop plastic polymers into smaller, digestible pieces. Meaning, these little guys can actually do the thing we’ve been desperate to do all along. A mushroom army ready to destroy the plastic patches we created and breathe life back into the ecosystem.
We need them.
Because we are drowning in plastic. Every minute, the equivalent of one garbage truck of plastic is dumped into the ocean. By 2050, there may be more plastic than fish by weight. Microplastics are in the air, our blood, and even the placentas of newborn babies.
And in places like Kamilo Beach, the plastic has begun fusing with volcanic rock, forming a new geological layer we never asked for: plastistone.
Mushrooms that break down plastic aren’t just a cool novelty, they’re a necessary undoing at this point.
How Far Are We From Scaled Solutions?
Umm, so there’s a catch, unfortunately. Right now, plastic-eating mushrooms exist in labs and forests, but not in our landfills or recycling centers.
To scale them, we’d need fungal bioreactors, proper containment (so spores don’t wreak unintended havoc), and funding and attention. While you might think fungus in the wild couldn’t do much damage, you’d be surprised. There’s so much we don’t know about effects and while we’re eager to get rid of the plastic in the world, we should also be keeping an eye on what else these spores might destroy in the process.
It’s possible, but right now, fungi still hide in their labs in corners. They haven’t been handed the megaphone yet, so you won’t hear much about them.
I found out about these mushrooms and immediately thought that this could change the world. After looking more into it I realize maaaybe I was jumping too far ahead of myself. Mushrooms won’t stop climate change or prevent forest fires, they won’t ease any sunspots the sun decides to throw our way or ensure peace throughout the world, but it’s a genuine start.
Maybe they won’t save the whole world, but it could change how we leave the world behind.
If we build bioreactors lined with fungi, landfills could become digesters. If we seed cleanup systems with spores, plastics in the ocean might lessen and loosen their chokehold on our fish-life.
This speaks to me on a deeper level because I’ve always wanted us to partner with nature instead of overpowering it.
A World Reclaimed by Fungi
I hope nothing more than centuries from now, long after we’re gone, cities are covered in moss and fungus.
Plastic stadium seats gently collapsing in our absence and foam insulation turning itself into compost. Synthetic fibers vanishing beneath a mycelial blanket instead of gathering in the dust to harm anything else left behind.
Mushrooms as architects of rebalance was not on my Bingo card this week, but now I’m thinking it should be.
The same world we poisoned…made clean by rot.
Check out: Japan’s Plastic That Dissolves in Seawater. Not all solutions are fungal, some are chemical…and dissolving. See how one country is reimagining plastic itself.
Grow Your Own Decay
Want to feel connected to the underground world?
Try this mushroom grow kit…a countertop mycelium farm that lets you raise your own fungi from spores to caps.
It won’t eat your plastic, but it might teach you something about surrender, patience, and wildness.
Other Reads You Might Enjoy:
The Plastic-Eating Robot Fish That Feeds on Pollution to Stay Alive
Plastic Rocks: The Rise of Plastistone and What It Says About Us
The Secret Life of Soil: Why Healthy Dirt Might Be Smarter Than You Think
The Hidden Violence in Our Food Chain (Even When It’s Vegan)
Airborne Seeds and Invisible Roots: The Poetry of Floating Agriculture
The Plants That Predict Earthquakes: Is Nature Trying to Warn Us?
The Quiet Giants: Why Trees Are More Valuable Than Diamonds (and Always Have Been)
