The bacteria Escherichia coli or E.coli, common in the gut microbiome, can be used to break down plastic into paracetamol, according to a study published in the journal Nature Chemistry.

Again, the E. coli thrived, turning the plastic-based precursor into PABA. Turning plastic waste into fuel for organisms is interesting in its own right, Wallace says.

However, new research conducted at Cornell University has now shown us that our gastrointestinal bacteria might not only be eating the food we eat, they may also be eating the plastics.

Paracetamol (acetaminophen) production could be revolutionized by the discovery that a common bacterium can turn everyday plastic waste into the painkiller. The new method leaves virtually no ...