The issue with using bacterium to decompose plastics is simple: the size of the molecule. Bacteria are, well, tiny and their mouths aren’t large enough to break up even pretty broken down polymers. But, I figured that out. I think.

Every decomposition chain is a loop, primary, secondary, tertiary decomposers acting like micro services passing output to the next group in the chain. So to solve the polymer issue, you start with fungi.

First, you break/shred the plastics, take the trained fungi species, add that in. First generation, you sample the fungi and the surrounding matter for the naturally occurring bacterial pairing groups. Second generation, you apply both the fungus and the bacterial pair

Once the second generation does its job (or as much as it can figure out), you repeat, grabbing both the refined fungal/bacterial pairing. Theoretically, 3rd or 4th generation are ready for larger scale deployment.

We already know fungi will adapt and consume hydrocarbons, oil, and all sorts of other nasty things like radiation. Given they’re enzyme stomachs, they’re breaking molecules up into base carbon atoms and so on to absorb through their cell walls.

So far, what we’ve found is the fungus acts like a giant filter, breaking down the complex molecules and only passing things like heavy metals to the fruiting bodies. Once the fungus fruits and those fruits die, those are re-absorbed and further broken down

But, on the plastics waste front, and not the heavy metal front, within several season (again, based on past tests on oil and plastics) the fungi and bacterial pairs reduce the waste to a point where the new soil is viable for crop usage. The key I think is the _pairing_

You chain them just like the forest decomposition cycle, just crafting your own ecosystem on, well, waste we make. Great thing is you can probably grow food crop mushrooms on the final result. Because of course you can.