Environment-friendly plastic degradation has been a challenging and daunting task for our society. Plastic, one of the greatest discoveries of the 20th century is notoriously difficult to degrade or recycle in an efficient way. The overutilization of plastic and lack of integrated methods for its recycling has created major environmental threats that we are currently facing and will continue at a greater magnitude in the future. The Pacific Gyre patch, 3.5 million tons of floating trash that consists of nets, bottles, bags, among other more obscure items is such an example [2]. Plastic poses a serious threat to land and marine life, as animals often mistake it for food, or they consume byproducts that result from its partial degradation and are often toxic to them. Interestingly, collisions with floating or submerged waste objects has caused 269 boating accidents, resulting in 15 deaths, 116 injuries and 3 million dollars in damage, although this numbers are trivial when compared to the billion dollar catastrophes and uncertain future that this environmental hazard imposes to our society [3]. Furthermore, "It costs the state of California an estimated $72 million per year to collect and dispose of one-time use disposable cups and bags. In addition, it costs California an estimated $52.2 million per year to attempt to keep our beaches clean. In total, the current annual costs to public agencies for litter prevention, cleanup, and disposal is $375.2 million" [2].

<br><br>The Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) is a commonly used plastic due to its durability and molecular stability, but its high molecular weight and hydrophobicity also make it one of the hardest plastics to degrade. Although the PET recycling rate has increased from 7% to 30% in the last few years, a majority of the plastic is still dumped in landfills and continues to pollute the environment [1]. Most plastics are made from petroleum, oil or natural gas, and a variety of chemicals that are toxic to humans (including ethylene glycol). Phthalates and Bisphenol-A (BPA) are the most common types of chemicals used to make plastic materials. Phthalates have been known to cause diseases related to cancer or hormonal imbalances. BPA is often known to leak from bottles and migrate into liquids and foods it comes into contact with. Within the landfills, rainwater can trickle through the trash, creating toxic leachate. The leachate carries microorganisms and toxic chemicals into drinking water sources [2]. Instead of approaching the problem by reducing the amount of input coming in, most firms are simply increasing the amount of bioplastic. These “biobottles” are only 30% biodegradable, meaning that there is still an influx of non-biodegradable plastic coming into our environment [4]. Currently, the processes to recycle these plastics are churning out energy, water, and greenhouse gases, creating a process that is more wasteful than sustainable.