Biodegradable Definition: What Does ‘Biodegradable’ Mean?

Biodegradable products interact with microbes, bacteria, and other organic materials to disintegrate into biomass after use. For example, compare paper to plastic waste. Since paper comes from wood, it has an easier time decomposing into elements suitable for a natural environment or landfill. On the other hand, many microplastic materials rely so much on additional chemicals they will never be able to incorporate themselves into an organic landscape.

While all compostable materials are biodegradable, not all biodegradable materials are compostable. The former decompose much faster in both land and marine environments, while the latter might take a greater amount of time to reintegrate into their surrounding ecosystem. Compostable products also have much more of a direct impact on the surrounding environment, especially with regard to the soil.

There’s significant controversy about how biodegradable or compostable certain products can even be. For instance, many goods with either label might have a difficult time breaking down into their composite organic parts. Additionally, products of both types might still release greenhouse gasses like methane as they disintegrate into anaerobic landfills. This process might not give rise to as many emissions as fossil fuels emit, but it can still damage the environment at the same time it intends to help it.

Plenty of products can become one with an organic environment after use. Here are a few examples of prominent bio-based waste:

• Biodegradable plastics: Certain types of plastic use polymers and other materials suitable for biodegrading after usage; however, these biodegradable plastics, or bioplastics, and compostable plastics are controversial. Environmental scientists dispute the rate and efficacy with which they can become functional elements of a surrounding landfill and environment.
• Food scraps: After finishing a meal, you might be able to help the environment with your remaining food waste. Plant-based or whole foods are especially adept at reintroducing carbon dioxide and nutrients into the soil. Foodstuffs make up a prominent subsection of the materials you might find in both home compost heaps and industrial composting facilities alike.
• Wood: Since this biodegradable product comes from the earth, it stands to reason it also successfully goes back into the ground from which it came. For instance, wood is a type of organic waste you’ll find useful to mulch your garden. Paper can fill a similar need, although you should still avoid littering whenever possible.

Nonbiodegradable types of waste have no ability to incorporate themselves into a natural environment. Consider these examples so you avoid throwing them away in the wrong place:

• Batteries: To provide power, batteries rely on metals, acids, and other byproducts incapable of melding with a natural environment. For that matter, discarding batteries in such an organic landscape could do active damage to the surrounding areas.
• Metal: No matter how ideal the composting conditions might be otherwise, you’ll never be able to add metals into your soil. As an illustration, compare what would happen if you left an apple and a bicycle in a field right next to each other. Should you come back to the same place a year later, the apple would long ago have reentered the ground. The bicycle, on the other hand, would lie in the exact same place you left it.
• Nonbiodegradable plastics: While the subject of biodegradable plastics might be controversial, scientists agree conventional plastics have no place in a natural environment. Common plastics of this ilk—like polystyrene, polyethylene, and polylactic acid (PLA)—will have a hard time becoming one with nature. Also, chemical additives in these materials will prove even worse for the surrounding environment.

By disposing of biodegradable waste in the appropriate way, you can make a positive impact on the environment. Keep these tips in mind as you do so:

• Aim for specialized disposal. Just because you can dispose of biodegradable or compostable products in a natural environment, it doesn’t mean you should. Buy the materials necessary to build a home composting kit or work with your city to learn whether they might provide the materials for you. Seek out the appropriate place to dispose of these materials. Some restaurants provide special compost trash cans as well.
• Avoid littering. Biodegradable materials can incorporate themselves back into the earth, but it’s still a best practice to allow professionals to choose how and when to do that. Just as you wouldn’t leave a plastic bag on a beach, avoid doing the same with biodegradable elements like compost-friendly food packaging materials or crumpled-up paper.
• Check the specific materials. When it comes to degradable plastic in particular, double-check what goes into this plastic packaging at a fundamental level. Every polymer and ingredient counts when it comes to determining whether or not the material will degrade in a natural way.

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