Anti Waste Bacteria (AWB)

by Quentin Jones

Intro
Anti Waste Bacteria are a type of plastic degrading bacteria. They are a crucial part of the struggle against climate change. They decompose plastics as part of their metabolism.

Background
Anti Waste bacteria was first discovered in 2016 by Japanese scientists. The bacteria, called Ideonella sakaiensis,  was found to break down  PET which is a type of plastic that makes up much of our waste such as water bottles. Unfortunately this process was far too slow to contend with the ever growing landfills. It seemed the slight glimmer of hope that there was a way to decompose our abundant waste had gone out. Then in 2027 a recent breakthrough in bio engineering technology led to more research into “waste eating bacteria”. This charge to create new bacteria was led by a  biomedical engineer and microbiologist named Laura Stems. She was reportedly “nearing a breakthrough” when her funding was lost. Then the Genesis halted further research, luckily Laura escaped off world. Research continued aboard ship 18 in the Serenity Fleet. When she finally returned to After Earth the bacteria had been developed and they were a crucial part of the Rebuilding. Now the Anti Waste Bacteria is implemented in New New England and helps with the trash clean up effort.

Development
The Bacteria developed by Laura Stems represented a great leap in bio science engineering. The former plastic degrading bacteria were slow and inefficient, as well as only being able to break down PET. When they did degrade the plastic they would often release toxic gasses which were even more harmful than the plastic. Unlike this naturally evolved bacteria Laura’s bio engineered versions were way faster and safer. Even her early prototypes were far more efficient than the original. There was one problem: they were still only limited to PET decomposition. Then in 2028 Dr. Stems was near a breakthrough. While working with researchers in Japan (the same who had found the original bacteria) they made the discovery that changed everything. The researchers had been using trial and error to variate these bio engineered bacteria in a controlled environment. Then testing them on many plastics including Acrylic or Poly Methyl Methacrylate (PMMA) …Polycarbonate (PC) …Polyethylene (PE) ...Polypropylene (PP) ...Polyethylene Terephthalate (PETE or PET) ...Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC) ...Acrylonitrile-Butadiene-Styrene (ABS). Finally after months of endless disappointment and failure Dr. Stems along with 2 other scientists found the perfect match. It devoured most of the plastics in the testing zones in less than 1.25 weeks. Unfortunately the funding was cut, and research halted.

3 Years later, on ship 18 of the Serenity fleet. Laura resumed research. Thankfully she had brought her sample of the miracle bacteria with her when the Genesis struck and she left Earth. The study that followed Dr stems breakthrough was focused on perfecting, reproducing, and eventually distributing the bacteria. By the year 2036 the project was finished and the Anti Waste Bacteria (AWB) were sent out to help with the building of After Earth.

Conclusion
Currently (2044) Anti Waste Bacteria are now implemented in New New England's Department for Waste Removal and Treatment (DWRT) and have been for about a year. These tiny creatures have helped enormously with the treatment and disposal of plastics. It is estimated that by 2050 the oceans will be almost completely clean!