Mealworms are plastivores and have the ability to breakdown various plastics in only a few hours. Plastivores are bacteria, fungi, and insects that can safely degrade and metabolize plastic.
This is due to the microbiome in mealworm guts which breaks down the plastic they eat.
It will take 3,000 to 4,000 mealworms about a week to breakdown one Styrofoam coffee cup. According to researchers, it would take about one million billion mealworms to eat one day’s worth of our global plastic production.
According to a study from Stanford, mealworms can eat Styrofoam containing a common toxic chemical additive and still be safely used as protein-rich feedstock for other animals.
See this video of mealworms eating styrofoam >> https://www.eurekalert.org/multimedia/904190
