The Science behind MealCycle
MealCycle is committed to ecological sustainability every step of the way.
The Study that Inspired Us:
“Mealworms are not only able to eat various forms of plastic, as previous research has shown, they can consume potentially toxic plastic additives in polystyrene with no ill effects, a new study shows. The worms can then be used as a safe, protein-rich feed supplement.”
This study replicated results from a previous study on mealworms’ plastic-eating:
These findings have been replicated globally in 22 countries:
Queens University Study
Media Coverage:
“It takes around 3,000 to 4,000 mealworms about a week to eat one Styrofoam coffee cup, and it's the bacteria living in their guts that break down the plastic”
“The authors believe PS degradation in mealworm guts could be similar to microbial degradation of plant cells in ruminating mammals and wood in termites, which represents a beneficial relation between microorganisms and their hosts. The mealworms' gut can be considered as an efficient bioreactor.”
Neo-Plastics from Chitin:
Mealworms are the larval stage of Darkling Beetles.
”Aagje Hoekstra…makes the innovative and biodegradable material by melting and fusing together the shells of dead darkling beetles, whose shells are made of chitin.”
Mealworm exoskeletons are also made of chitin. The exoskeleton is shed 9-20 times before the pupa stage.
Solutions We Can Implement NOW
The scaling required to handle ALL plastic waste is far too large for our current capabilities. As a stopgap solution, all single-use plastic bags donated to MealCycle will primarily be crafted into plastic yarn, with the mealworms being fed the scraps and pieces that are unusable.
What About Microplastics?
Using our multi-tiered processing system, we can collect uneaten microplastics for further mealworm consumption and prevent them from entering the frass (mealworm droppings). Studies have shown mealworms do not excrete microplastics.
Stanford Research
The Future of MealCycle
We aspire to grow to a scale where we could accept our reusable bags back and replace them with beetle plastic. Someday, when all single-use plastics have been replaced with sustainable materials, we can feed the mealworms a natural diet and continue the neo-plastic creation process.