# A New Enzyme Found in Compost Just Set a Speed Record For Breaking Down Plastic

- Link: https://www.widthness.com/a-new-enzyme-found-in-compost-just-set-a-speed-record-for-breaking-down-plastic/
- Published: 2022-05-23T09:00:54-05:00
- Author: Curated by Theresa Wysocki

Image credit: Placebo365 / Getty Images. Article by Carly Cassella. Science Alert – May 19, 2022. A plastic container thrown into landfill can take hundreds of years to break down naturally, but a newly discovered enzyme could eat up the waste in less than a day. The highly efficient polyester hydrolase, known as PHL7, was recently found in a German cemetery munching through compost. In […] Click here to view original web page at www.sciencealert.com