[{"command":"openDialog","selector":"#drupal-modal","settings":null,"data":"\u003Cdiv id=\u0022republish_modal_form\u0022\u003E\u003Cform class=\u0022modal-form-example-modal-form ecl-form\u0022 data-drupal-selector=\u0022modal-form-example-modal-form\u0022 action=\u0022\/cs\/article\/modal\/6476\u0022 method=\u0022post\u0022 id=\u0022modal-form-example-modal-form\u0022 accept-charset=\u0022UTF-8\u0022\u003E\u003Cp\u003EHorizon articles can be republished for free under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) licence.\u003C\/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp\u003EYou must give appropriate credit. We ask you to do this by:\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n      1) Using the original journalist\u0027s byline\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n      2) Linking back to our original story\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n      3) Using the following text in the footer: This article was originally published in \u003Ca href=\u0027#\u0027\u003EHorizon, the EU Research and Innovation magazine\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp\u003ESee our full republication guidelines \u003Ca href=\u0027\/horizon-magazine\/republish-our-stories\u0027\u003Ehere\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp\u003EHTML for this article, including the attribution and page view counter, is below:\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\u0022js-form-item form-item js-form-type-textarea form-item-body-content js-form-item-body-content ecl-form-group ecl-form-group--text-area form-no-label ecl-u-mv-m\u0022\u003E\n        \n\u003Cdiv\u003E\n  \u003Ctextarea data-drupal-selector=\u0022edit-body-content\u0022 aria-describedby=\u0022edit-body-content--description\u0022 id=\u0022edit-body-content\u0022 name=\u0022body_content\u0022 rows=\u00225\u0022 cols=\u002260\u0022 class=\u0022form-textarea ecl-text-area\u0022\u003E\u003Ch2\u003EPlastic-eating bacteria offer recipe against recycling slowdown\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIn 2014, EU consumers created 25.8 million tonnes of plastic waste, with almost a third of that ending up in landfill, according to \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.plasticseurope.org\/documents\/document\/20151216062602-plastics_the_facts_2015_final_30pages_14122015.pdf\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022 rel=\u0022noopener noreferrer\u0022\u003Edata\u003C\/a\u003E from PlasticsEurope, an industry association representing more than 100 companies. In a green economy, this waste would be a valuable resource, but the current market doesn\u2019t see it like that.\u003Cdiv class=\u0022text-center bg-bluelightest p-12 my-12 -mx-16\u0022\u003E\n  \u003Ch3 class=\u0022font-sans font-bold text-blue uppercase text-lg mb-8\u0022\u003EThe Issue\u003C\/h3\u003E\n  \u003Cspan class=\u0022inline-block w-1\/6 h-1 bg-blue mb-8\u0022\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\n  \u003Cp\u003EThe green economy is an economic model that focuses on creating jobs and prosperity without harming the environment.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe idea is to improve sustainability across all sectors by preventing waste, managing water resources, and better production and consumption.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ECreating a resource-efficient Europe is a key part of the EU\u2019s \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/ec.europa.eu\/europe2020\/index_en.htm\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003EEurope 2020\u003C\/a\u003E growth strategy.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u2018Because the price of oil is down \u2026 the recycling business of plastics is dying,\u2019 said Henry Saint Bris, senior vice-president of Suez Environment, speaking at the Transition to the Green Economy conference in Bratislava, Slovakia in September.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ESaint Bris explained that \u201880 % of the virgin plastic cost is oil\u2019 while \u201880 % of (the) recycled plastic cost is labour and capital\u2019.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe price of Brent Crude oil has fallen from almost USD 140 per barrel in 2008 to under USD 50 per barrel in 2016. When the price of oil is low it is much cheaper to produce and sell virgin plastic, which in turn blocks recycled plastic from competing.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u2018I wouldn\u2019t say oil prices are killing recycling \u2026 but they are giving it a very hard time,\u2019 said Karmenu Vella, European Commissioner for Environment, Maritime Affairs and Fisheries, who was speaking at a panel discussing financing and investments for a green economy during the Bratislava conference.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe solution could lie in finding ways to make old plastic more valuable, reducing the cost of sourcing materials and thereby making recycled plastic more competitive.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u2018If you look into the far future you could think about people getting paid for their plastic waste,\u2019 said Dr Nick Wierckx, from RWTH Aachen University, Germany, and joint coordinator of P4SB, an EU-funded project looking to turn oil-based plastic waste into a biodegradable substitute.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u2018We want to find a new outlet for plastic waste which adds to its value, not like classical recycling when you go from a used bottle to a new bottle, but establish plastic waste as a carbon source for biotechnology, which would enable a huge range of new applications.\u2019\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EMunching through waste\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EP4SB is using genetically engineered bacteria to convert oil-based plastic waste into a new type of plastic which is fully biodegradable.\u003Cblockquote class=\u0022text-center text-blue font-bold text-2xl w-full lg:w-1\/2 border-2 border-blue p-12 my-8 lg:m-12 lg:-ml-16 float-left\u0022\u003E\n  \u003Cspan class=\u0022text-5xl rotate-180\u0022\u003E\u201c\u003C\/span\u003E\n  \u003Cp class=\u0022font-serif italic\u0022\u003E\u2018If you look into the far future you could think about people getting paid for their plastic waste.\u2019\u003C\/p\u003E\n  \u003Cfooter\u003E\n    \u003Ccite class=\u0022not-italic font-normal text-sm text-black\u0022\u003EDr Nick Wierckx, RWTH Aachen University, Germany\u003C\/cite\u003E\n  \u003C\/footer\u003E\n\u003C\/blockquote\u003E\n\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThey are focusing on two of the most common types of plastic \u2013 polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and polyurethane (PU). \u2018We use enzymes to break down PET and PU plastic into constituents called monomers,\u2019 said Professor Lars M. Blank, who coordinates P4SB and is also at RWTH Aachen University.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u2018Then we use the monomers as a feed stock for the bacteria and they produce the bioplastic.\u2019\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EOne of the project partners is hoping to develop a bioplastic as a substitute to PU which is currently used in furniture, footwear and electronics, while another is developing \u2018bioglue\u2019 for food labels, like the ones on apples which is often made from crude oil.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u2018This bioplastic also has some niche, high-value applications,\u2019 added Prof. Blank. \u2018Bioplastic can be used in surgical implants as it\u2019s biodegradable so you wouldn\u2019t have to open wounds (to remove the implants) anymore.\u2019\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIf recycling innovations like plastic-eating bacteria are successfully scaled up, then the value of plastic waste will increase along with the economic incentive to recycle. This could create a system less reliant on virgin plastic and help recyclers compete during low-oil prices.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u0027Establishing a reliable production line for high-value up-cycled bioplastic would enable a more competitive recycling industry,\u0027 said Dr Wierckx. \u2018Then you can think about reducing the plastic ending up in the ocean.\u0027\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/textarea\u003E\n\u003C\/div\u003E\n\n            \u003Cdiv id=\u0022edit-body-content--description\u0022 class=\u0022ecl-help-block description\u0022\u003E\n      Please copy the above code and embed it onto your website to republish.\n    \u003C\/div\u003E\n  \u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cinput autocomplete=\u0022off\u0022 data-drupal-selector=\u0022form-dr06tyopygrcpwofxktnm1i4svkiwp4njauuogi64u\u0022 type=\u0022hidden\u0022 name=\u0022form_build_id\u0022 value=\u0022form--DR06TyoPygRcPWOFXKtNm1i4svkIwp4NJAUUOgi64U\u0022 \/\u003E\n\u003Cinput data-drupal-selector=\u0022edit-modal-form-example-modal-form\u0022 type=\u0022hidden\u0022 name=\u0022form_id\u0022 value=\u0022modal_form_example_modal_form\u0022 \/\u003E\n\u003C\/form\u003E\n\u003C\/div\u003E","dialogOptions":{"width":"800","modal":true,"title":"Republish this content"}}]