New York (CNN) Our plastic addiction is spiraling out of control, but one company thinks it has a solution from a material found in nature.

Humans have produced more than 8.3 billion tons of plastic since the 1950s, according to the United Nations . Most of that is ending up in landfills and could take centuries to decompose.

New York-based biotech startup Ecovative aims to cut down on this waste with mycelium, the root-like structure of a mushroom. Although we're used to seeing mushrooms growing above the ground, mycelium is what grows below it.

"[Plastic waste is] literally gumming up the cogs of the ecosystem of planet Earth," Ecovative's CEO and co-founder Eben Bayer told CNN Business. "[A natural alternative] can address a lot of our serious problems especially in the category of single-use plastics."

Mycelium provides a natural alternative to packaging materials made out styrofoam

The company says it has developed a way to grow mycelium into specific shapes and sizes. The method, according to Ecovative, involves taking organic plant waste and inoculating it with mycelium. After the mycelium grows through and around the agricultural materials, it binds them together, providing a natural alternative to packaging materials made out styrofoam. It's a process that takes about a week with minimal water and electricity consumed to make the parts.

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