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Let’s Talk Trash! SEPT/OCT 2017
©2017 The Keenan Group, Inc
Meal worms are those squirmy guys you may have taken care of in science class or fed to a particularly hungry pet chicken or reptile. New studies suggest that these creepy crawlers could be incredibly good for the environment. Some studies have found that meal worms can eat Styrofoam, turning a huge source of waste into compost that can be safely used on soil. Styrofoam, and in particular Styrofoam cups, are everywhere, and less than 10 percent of those used in the United States get recycled. In a scientific study, researchers have found that meal worms fed only Styrofoam were just as healthy as meal worms fed the more traditional meal (bran, in this case). Each worm could eat about a pill-sized portion every day. Another scientific study focused on the meal worms’ gut microbes , which are able to break down the plastic safely. The researchers were able to turn this bacteria into a film that they applied to polystyrene, a form of the same plastic used to make Styrofoam. The bacteria were also able to eat through polystyrene, but at a much slower rate than the meal worms. Researchers plan to continue looking into whether meal worms can safely break down other plastics, like those that make up car parts or microbeads. They also plan to look for the marine equivalent of meal worms, in the hopes that some sea creature with a strong stomach can help reduce the massive
Life Cycle Meal worms that birds, reptiles, and other animals love
aren’t really worms. They are the larvae of darkling beetles. There are over 20,000 different types of darkling beetles and meal worms come from the species Tenebrio molitor. A darkling beetle experiences complete metamorphosis which means that it has four distinct stages of life. The four stages are egg, larva, pupa, and adult. The amount of time a darkling beetle spends in each stage can vary greatly due to environmental factors like temperature, humidity, food, and water.
amount of plastic waste in the oceans. Source: http://www.popsci.com/mealworms-can-safely-devour-plastics
DEFINITIONS
microbes: A microorganism, especially a bacterium causing disease or fermentation.
metamorphosis: A change in the form and often habits of an animal during normal development after the embryonic stage.
Animals do not recognize polystyrene foam as an artificial material and may even mistake it for food. Polystyrene foam blows in the wind and floats on water, due to its specific gravity. It can have serious effects on the health of birds or marine animals that swallow significant quantities. Restricting the use of foamed polystyrene takeout food packaging is a priority of many solid waste environmental organizations. Efforts have been made to find alternatives to polystyrene, especially foam in restaurant settings. The original driving force was to eliminate chlorofluorocarbons (CFC), which was a former component of foam.
chlorofluorocarbons are: any of a class of compounds of carbon, hydrogen, chlorine, and fluorine, typically gases used in refrigerants and aerosol propellants. They are harmful to the ozone layer in the earth’s atmosphere owing to the release of chlorine atoms upon exposure to ultraviolet radiation.
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