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[Display omitted] • Plastic upcycling is a significant strategy for the remediation of plastic wastes. • Bio-based plastic upcycling includes biodegradation and microbial valorization. • The discovery of PETase has shifted the research paradigm toward plastic upcycling. • The microbial valorization of plastic monomers into useful products is discussed. • Plastic upcycling will contribute to the construction of a circular bioeconomy. Plastics are commonly used in daily life and various industries, generating massive quantities of plastic wastes and causing severe environmental concerns. Thus, the upcycling of plastic wastes into valuable products has recently emerged as an option for addressing the plastic-induced environmental crisis. Since (i) the discovery of plastic-eating species and (ii) the discovery of an enzyme that hydrolyzes polyethylene terephthalate (PET), one of the most commonly used synthetic polymers that is remarkably persistent in the environment, the enzymatic and/or microbial degradation of plastic wastes and the catabolism of plastic monomers have been intensively studied. In this review, we focus on recent advances and key barriers in the biotechnological upcycling of plastic wastes. We also given an overview of the microbial degradation of plastic wastes. Specifically, recent research on the biodegradation of plastics via PET hydrolase (PETase) as a representative plastic-degrading enzyme is discussed. Additionally, this review covers (i) the microbial conversion of plastic monomers from mainly PET and polyurethane (PU) and (ii) the chemobiological upcycling of plastic wastes. Ultimately, this review provides insight into the development of viable biotechnological plastic upcycling systems and contributes to the construction of plastic-based circular carbon economies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Plastics are one of the most used materials in the world. Their indiscriminate use and inappropriate disposal have led to inevitable impacts, for instance ingestion, on the environment arousing the attention of the global community. In addition, plastic ingestion studies are often written in scientific jargon or hidden behind paywalls, which makes these studies inaccessible. GLOVE is an online and open-access dashboard database available at gloveinitiative.shinyapps.io/Glove/ to support scientists, decision-makers, and society with information collected from plastic ingestion studies. The platform was created in the R environment, with a web interface developed through Shiny. It already comprises 530 studies, including all biological groups, with 245,366 individual records of 1458 species found in marine, freshwater, and terrestrial environments. The main goal of the GLOVE dashboard database is to improve data accessibility by being a scientifically useful grounded tool for designing effective and innovative actions in the current scenario of upcoming global and local agreements and actions on plastic pollution. [Display omitted] • Plastic pollution causes harmful effects from individual to ecosystem-level. • GLOVE is an open-access dashboard database focused on ingested plastic debris by wild animals. • The platform supports political and education science-based actions for multiple stakeholders. • It includes 530 studies representing 1458 species from aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]