Plastic Pollution

Despite the initially apparent fact that the discovery of fossil-based plastic looked promising when introduced in the market for the first time during the 1950s due to its robustness, usability in daily life, and thermostability, unfortunately, it has become a cause for serious concern in current times. Plastics are high molecular weight (HMW) polymers primarily synthesized from hydrocarbons and petroleum derivatives [1]. Classified under xenobiotics contaminants, their degradation takes around 1,000 years in landfills [2]. An estimated amount of 367 million metric tons of plastic is produced annually according to a recent research study, of which only 9% is recycled [3]. The seven decades of plastic littering, coupled with less effective waste disposal methods, finally allowed them to become ubiquitous in our natural environment. The most dreaded form is the microplastic form that has polluted the ecosystem, permeating the soil, water, and air. The current measures to degrade plastics range from physicochemical, thermal, photodegradation, radiation-based degradation (UV induced), phytoremediation, and recent scientific interest in utilizing microbes (bacteria, microalgae, fungi and yeast) for plastic bioremediation as a greener and sustainable approach. Microbial transformation of polymers is a hotspot research area that has become a keystone in the circular economy of plastics. Thus, this chapter focuses on plastic degradation using microbes in order to keep readers abreast of its recent advancements, associated challenges, opportunities, and future prospects in this field.