5 Jul 2025

Turning plastic into paracetamol

From Saturday Morning, 7:35 am on 5 July 2025

We may think of rubbish as something to throw away, burn or bury - but what if we could turn waste into fragrance, food flavouring or medicine?

Well, Professor Stephen Wallace from the University of Edinburgh and his research team has been able to do just that.

They've just published a new study into genetically programming bacteria such as E-Coli to turn plastic bottles into paracetamol.

plastic water bottles

Photo: artisteer / Getty Images/ iStockphoto