Dive Brief:

• A scientist in Mexico created a technology using mushrooms that can degrade the materials found in disposable diapers.  
• Rosa Espinosa Valdemar, a research scientist at the Autonomous Metropolitan University in Azcapotzalco, Mexico, found that using the Pleurotus ostreatus mushroom will degrade up to 80% of the weight of the diaper within a three month timeframe.
• The main objective of the experiment was to determine if the fungi could reduce the volume of diapers entering the waste stream; the mushrooms are not intended for human consumption, but could be used as a food supplement for cattle.

Dive Insight:

The notorious nature of the disposable diaper and its inability to decompose makes this research particularly intriguing. Some of the materials used to manufacture this consumer product actually work in tandem with the mushrooms, and the substances that hinder its biodegradation in landfills -- the plastic matter, for example -- benefits the process by allowing for areation and an area for the fungus to grow.