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Plastic is inert in a landfill, but occupies a lot of space. If it's burned, CO2 is released into the atmosphere and toxic ashes are left behind, although way less space is occupied. If all plastic is degraded by these bacteria, apparently no disadvantages seem to be present.


Well, not quite.

"The worms converted about half of the Styrofoam into carbon dioxide, as they would with any food source."

So they produce CO2 as well as a byproduct.


The byproduct is called poop, and the article says it can be used as fertilizer.


Not quite inert -- it slowly degrades to micro particles that will be difficult to keep in place, and birds will eat the bits along the way.


But it's a myth that we're running out of landfill space.




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