Word Pairs

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Words
A natural solution to the [growing / grown] crisis of plastic waste in the environment may be at [hand / head] . Researchers have discovered that a [tinny / tiny] caterpillar, commonly known as a waxworm, has a [taste / tasty] for plastic. Researchers from Cambridge University in the UK say that the waxworm devours plastic [on / at] "uniquely high speeds". They say that it is possible to utilize this environmentally-friendly solution to [globally / global] waste on an industrial scale. Millions of waxworms could be [bread / bred] to spend their days breaking down and [consuming / consumption] plastic bags, bottles, household items and other [discarded / distracted] waste. Around a trillion plastic bags end [up / down] in landfills around the world each year. They take [centuries / centurions] to biodegrade.

Researcher Dr Paolo Bombelli said: "It's extremely, [extreme / extremely] exciting because breaking down plastic has proved [such / so] challenging." He said the waxworm can break down a notoriously [toughen / tough] plastic like polyethylene more than 1,400 times faster [that / than] other organisms. The waxworm uses enzymes in its [saliva / salvia] to break the plastic's chemical bonds. It might be possible one day to [replicate / calculate] these enzymes and [spray / splay] them on waste to make it decompose. Another researcher said: "We are planning to implement [thus / this] finding in a viable way to get [rid / riddance] of plastic waste, working towards a solution to save our oceans, rivers, and all the environment from [an / the] unavoidable consequences of plastic accumulation."

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