SOLDIER termites may provide an environmentally friendly way to destroy unwanted plastic bags. Discarded bags made of polythene normally take several years to decompose.
Chris Kasamba at Makerere University in Kampala, Uganda, noticed that termites that were seemingly intent on destroying his agricultural experiment were actually doing a great job of munching through the polythene bags he was using to grow seedlings. He realised the insects might biodegrade plastic waste.
鈥淚nstead of looking on termites as a menace, I turned around and saw them as an opportunity,鈥� he says. But he still has to check whether they are actually metabolising the polythene or just piling it up in their nests.
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