Scientists Want to Reduce Landfill Waste With Enzymes to Break Down Polyester

Clothing and its disposal cause big environmental problems, but some scientists are trying to figure out a way to give fabrics, especially polyester, a new life.

Since most clothing won’t be thrifted, researchers are trying to keep it out of landfills by taking polyester back to a raw material using enzymes that are known to break down other plastics.

Professor Andy Pickford from University of Portsmouth, told CBS News, “recycling rates for textiles when they reach their end of life is very, very poor, typically less than 10%.”

"What we want to do is to see whether the enzymes that can break down these plastic bottles are also able to break down the polyester in fabrics such as this,” he added.

Polyester is typically made from petroleum and is in about 60 percent of our wardrobes.

Millions of tons of it end up in the garbage every year and a breakthrough like this could have an incredible impact.

“So having a nature-inspired solution to reutilize the polymers that are in our clothing at end of life could be a real game changer,” Professor Pickford added.

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