The technology turns plastic waste into edible fungus

An international team of researchers has found a way to turn plastic waste into safe food through two specialized plastic molds.

Austrian designer Katharina Unger, colleague Julia Kaisinger and scientists at Utrecht University in the Netherlands have developed a technology called Fungi Mutarium over the past few years to turn waste plastics into edible mushrooms, according to Science Alert.

The research team used two cultivars, Pleurotus ostreatus and Schizophyllum commune . They dispose of non-toxic plastic waste by ultraviolet light and put the plastic on a shell made from agar plastic agar. Next, they add plastic mushrooms. After a few weeks, the plastic disappeared and the fungus covered the entire crust. This fungus is completely edible.

Fungi Mutarium is in the testing phase but promises to bring plastic recycling and new food production in the future.