Researchers may have found an unusual way to reduce plastic pollution, one bite at a time. It turns out that the common wax worm can eat plastic. Also known as the Galleria mellonella, these worms may help reduce the waste caused by plastic bags. Each year, one trillion plastic bags are used around the world. They are made from polyethylene -- one of the strongest kinds of plastic. The wax worm is the larvae, or young form, of an insect called the greater wax moth. These kinds of worms are also called caterpillars. Federica Bertocchini is with the Institute of Biomedicine and Biotechnology of Cantabria in Spain. She says researchers found that the larvae of the Galleria mellonella are able to biodegrade the plastic bags. To biodegrade means to break down by natural processes or bacteria.