Do you mean the Andromeda Strain by Michael Crichton [1] (also a movie) and I seem to remember it being a good watch when I last watched though that might be a good 15 years ago. The idea was novel enough it's stuck with me since and I do often joke with people about it, especially given from what I gather that certain types of funghi can now digest certain types of plastic [2].

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Andromeda_Strain

[2] https://www.shroomer.com/mycoremediation-plastic-eating-mush...