Yale University students found Pestalotiopsis in the rainforests of Ecuador in 2011, they discovered the first fungus that not only had a voracious appetite for plastic but could thrive in oxygen-starved environments like landfills. 

Austrian designer Katharina Unger teamed up with scientists from Holland’s Utrecht University to develop the Fungi Mutarium, which uses pods of agar gelatine that nourish the fungus with sugars and starch until UV-treated plastic is stuffed into the middle. It takes a few months for the fungus to fully digest the plastic, leaving a puffy, mushroom-like cup with a sweet taste and a liquorice smell.Scientists foresee household owning a smaller-scale version to recycle their plastic waste and community recycling centers with larger systems.