Biodegradation

Biodegradation is a chemical process in which materials are dissolved by bacteria or other biological elements. If a material is biodegradable, it means that it can be consumed by microorganisms and turned into compounds that are natural. It is an important process in ecology and waste management. Items that are biodegradable are considered environmentally friendly because they can turn back into elements found in nature.

Yellow slime mold growing on a bin of wet paper

Organic materials, such as those that come from plants and animals, can be degraded aerobically (with oxygen) or anaerobically (without oxygen). Some artificial or inorganic materials can also be biodegraded.^[1][2] It is possible to identify specific microorganisms that are able to biodegrade these materials.^[3]

In nature, different materials biodegrade at different speeds. Most microorganisms that help biodegradation need light, heat, water and oxygen.^[4]

Estimated time for compounds to biodegrade in the ocean^[5]

Product	Time to biodegrade
Apple core	1–2 months
General paper	1–3 months
Paper towel	2–4 weeks
Cardboard box	2 months
Cotton cloth	5 months
Plastic coated milk carton	5 years
Wax coated milk carton	3 months
Tin cans	50–100 years
Aluminium cans	150–200 years
Glass bottles	Undetermined (forever)
Plastic bags	10–20 years
Soft plastic (bottle)	100 years
Hard plastic (bottle cap)	400 years

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