Styrofoam is one of the materials piling up in landfills that can take a long time to degrade. Much of it is single-use, packing material used once, then discarded. Now, a mealworm has been found that eats the material and turns it into organic material which can be returned to the soil. As more such animals are found, land fills can reduce in size (or not grow as fast), and the possibility of finding other animals that can eat other plastics opens the possibility of further improvements in waste management. Done right, we can end up with less waste and more of a useful resource.
(Click on the photo for the link.)
“The Common Mealworm Might Be The Solution To Our Plastic Waste Problem” – Quartz
Pretending Not To Panic 