Plastic pollution is a growing global problem. This paper presents a synthetic microbial consortium designed to efficiently upcycle polyethylene terephthalate (PET) into valuable chemicals. The consortium, composed of two *Pseudomonas putida* strains specializing in terephthalic acid (TPA) and ethylene glycol (EG) utilization, demonstrates superior performance compared to monocultures, exhibiting reduced catabolic cross-talk and faster degradation, especially at high substrate concentrations or with crude hydrolysate. The consortium also excels in producing polyhydroxyalkanoates (mcl-PHA) and *cis-cis* muconate (MA). This work highlights the potential of engineered microbial consortia for sustainable polymer upcycling.

Teng Bao, Yuanchao Qian, Yongping Xin, James J. Collins, Ting Lu