Scientists have identified a fungus from the Amazon rainforest called Pestalotiopsis microspora that naturally digests polyurethane plastic and even thrives without oxygen.

First discovered in 2011 by Yale student researchers in Yasuní National Park, Ecuador, this fungus can use plastic as its only source of carbon and operate in oxygen-free environments, such as the insides of landfills.

Its ability to completely metabolize plastic through enzymatic processes - rather than simply breaking it into fragments - has sparked global interest in scaling this finding as a promising and sustainable method to combat plastic pollution.