Not too fast: a critique on biodegradation of plastics, especially by marcoorganisms such as caterpillars

Caterpillars can consume plastics, but it is not a magic solution. Caterpillars can consume plastics! Back in 2017, the world was getting to know this extraordinary phenomenon by global news coverage of findings of Bombelli et al. Their claims were that larvae of the greater wax moth, Galleria mellonella, consume polyethylene at an extraordinary rate, and moreover produce ethylene glycol as a major metabolite. News outlets started dreaming of recycling factories where caterpillars were fed with plastics and virgin, high value materials would come out. Meanwhile, it is becoming clear from both earlier and later work [3,4] that indeed various 'caterpillars', more specifically mealworms, and larvae of the greater and lesser wax moth, are able to degrade polyethylene as well as polystyrene, albeit at lower rates. Additionally, some methods/findings of the work of Bombelli et al. have been questioned later on , and it is still very doubtful whether any ethylene glycol would be produced at all.