Biodegradable means a product can dissolve easily in the environment without destroying nature.If everything was biodegradable, our world would be extremely clean.
Here is the time that is takes for some products to dissolve.
Product Time to Biodegrade Vegetables 5days-
1 month Paper 2-5 months
Cotton Tshirts 6 months
Orange Peels 6 months
Trees Leaves 1 year
Wool Socks 1-5 years
Plastic Coated Milk Carton 5 years
Leather Shoes 24-40 years
Nylon Fabric 30-40 years
Tin Cans 50-100 years
Aluminum Cans 80-100 years
Glass Bottles 1 million years
Styrofoam Cups 500 years-
forever Plastic Bags 500 years- forever
BIODEGRADABLE PRODUCTS
Biodegradable products are good. They break down naturally through microorganisms like bacteria and fungi over time but when dumped in landfills they sometimes get buried under where the "good" bacteria survives and the oxygen is depleted.
Compostable is the new and improved biodegradable. It's greener. In order for plastic to be considered as compostable, it must be able to break down into carbon dioxide, water and biomass at the same rate as paper. It must look like compost and can not produce any toxic material and must support plant life. Most compostable items are made from plant materials like corn, potato, cellulose, soy and sugar.
List of Biodegradable, Everyday Products
o Purchasing environmentally friendly products has become a mainstream consideration in family life, the business world, medical facilities and fast food restaurants. Entrepreneurs around the world have responded to these demands with numerous product improvements geared toward developing a wider selection of biodegradable products that can please a homemaker, a gardener or even a surgeon. We've come a long way in eliminating harmful chemicals in items that are used every day.
School and Office
o Paper products are among the most common biodegradable items. They are used in the office to print images and reports, for paper cups, paper towels, and shipping boxes. Schools use notepaper, paper dishes, milk cartons and lots of toilet paper. Paper is mainly comprised of wood, glue and miscellaneous linen and cotton fibers, which are biodegradable. Paper products have been the forerunner in biodegradable household and office products.
Gardening
o Common biodegradable gardening products include peat pots for starting seeds, garden fertilizers, plant-based pesticides, tomato stakes and leaf nets that can be placed directly in your composter. There are several brands of biodegradable garbage bags on the market today that can also be used for this purpose. In order for a garbage bag to be marketed as biodegradable, it must meet strict standards according to greenplastics.com and must degrade at least 60 percent by normal means from microorganisms such as algae, fungi and bacteria within 180 days.
Home and Cleaning
o Many cleaning products including laundry soaps are going green with nontoxic, plant-based formulas. Other items that are gaining market share are biodegradeable printer ink, cat litter and various odor removers. Clothing made from cotton, wool, silk or any plant- or animal-based fiber are also biodegradable. Several companies are now offering biodegradable diapers, but ciwmb.ca.gov states that they do not decompose any faster than regular diapers in a landfill due to the absence of elements that are necessary to encourage decomposition.
Plastic Bags
-
Over 1,000 years goes by before a plastic bag breaks down completely. During that time the plastic contaminates the water and the soil. Hundreds of thousands of whales, sea turtles, and other marine mammals die each year from eating plastic bags mistaken for food. On land, many cows, goats and other animals also die from accidentally ingesting plastic bags. There are many companies that sell compostable plastic bags. It is important to do your research; however, because companies may have several lines of bags available and only one particular bag is biodegradable, while the rest are not. Other companies carry a much wider selection, including small kitchen bags, and pet-waste bags. It is easy to shop for certified compostable bags of any kind online. The Biodegradable Products Institute has a directory of all certified compostable products by category on its website.
Compostable Cleaning Wipes
-
Greenworks Compostable Cleaning Wipes manufactured by Clorox are made with naturally derived ingredients, such as citric acid and wood fibers and are safe for most non-wood surfaces, including vinyl, fiberglass and acrylic. Greenworks Cleaning Wipes have been certified by The Biodegradable Products Institute. Greenworks Compostable Cleaning Wipes are made from 100 percent wood-based fibers, which is what makes them compostable.
Prima Bottled Water
-
Prima water bottles are made from a natural, sustainable, renewable plant-based material. The Prima bottle is made from 100 percent plants and will biodegrade in under 30 days in a commercial composting facility. Lowes Foods in Winston-Salem, North Carolina was the first grocery store chain to offer Prima Bottled Water. As of 2010, Prima can be found in over a dozen chain grocery stores. The company encourages consumers to ask their local grocery store to carry Prima.
