Scientists make Parkinson’s drug from used plastic bottles

Tim Ireland/PA Wire

By Nick Forbes, PA Media

Scientists in the UK have discovered a way of making a common drug for Parkinson’s disease from used plastic bottles, saying it shows how waste materials can be “reimagined as valuable resources”.

Developed by a team at the University of Edinburgh, the approach harnesses the power of bacteria to transform waste plastic into frontline Parkinson’s medication called L-DOPA.