Explore - Which Materials Are Biodegradable?
Completion requirements
Explore - Which Materials are Biodegradable?
All garbage and waste has to be taken somewhere. Thankfully, a lot of waste is biodegradable and decomposes over time. Some waste items decompose rather quickly—in a few weeks. Others take more time.
Some waste items are non-biodegradable, and these items can be piling up in our landfills for many years. In this experiment, you will look for evidence of decomposition in various waste items that are either biodegradable or non-biodegradable.
Some waste items are non-biodegradable, and these items can be piling up in our landfills for many years. In this experiment, you will look for evidence of decomposition in various waste items that are either biodegradable or non-biodegradable.
Milk cartons take 5 years to decompose.
Aluminum cans take about 80 to 200 years to decompose.
Orange peels take about 6 months to decompose.
Disposable diapers take about 500 years to decompose.
Video
Watch the ADLC Digital Lesson on What Materials Biodegrade?
Notebook: How do we know what waste is biodegradable?
- Click here to download this activity.
- Complete the activity and save it to your Waste Notebook.
Digging Deeper
Do an Internet search to find the amount of time that various objects take to decompose. How long it takes a banana, a paper bag, a Styrofoam cup, a glass bottle, and any others of your choice to decompose? Then, construct a bar graph that shows the various decomposition times.