“By 2050, there will be more plastic than fish in the ocean,” says a recent research. Marred by the harsh realities of ever-growing plobal menace of plastic, Ishan Joshi, class 9 student, aims to work on plastic eating bacteria. It converts PET (Polyethelene Terephthalate) to MHET (Monohydroxyethyl Terephthalate Acid) and release carbon as byproduct. The leftover materials, after the bacterial decomposition, can be used in textile industry for fabric production. ‘Ideonella Sakaiensis’ and ‘Exigobacterium’ are two such bacterium — discovered in Japan and India, respectively — which convert common plastic (PET) to MHET. However, these bacteria need to be genetically modified to decompose plastics more ekciently and in less time. Moreover, breeding these plastic eating microbes will not only help solve one the plastic problem but also fuel setting up a billion-dollar business industry resulting in economic dividend. “In a science magazine, I read plastic takes 500-1,000 years to decompose. And the word decompose channeled my mind to bacteria. What if bacteria used/developed to eat/decompose the plastics”, said Ishan. “In the next 30 years, I want to extensively work on ways to solve the plastic menace”, Ishan quipped. Explain the future plans course of action he said, “I would love to scaleup my idea and innovation to the full-scale industrial and commercial business level, for which my Business Canvass is all ready. “For me the biggest learning curve at the CIF 2019 Bootcamp would be, how to convert your small thought/idea into a large-scale commercial business,” further adding Ishan said.